BOX SCORE
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Fourth-seeded UMass Lowell scored twice
in a span of 7:28 midway through the first half to upend top-seeded
Southern New Hampshire University 2-1 in the second round of the
2008 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship East Regional at
Larkin Field Sunday afternoon. The River Hawks, who now
advance to next weekend's regional final at second-seeded Dowling,
improves to 13-3-4, while the Penmen see their season come to a
close at 15-3-4.
SNHU entered the game ranked No. 8
in the latest adidas/NSCAA Division II poll, while the River Hawks
were ranked 20th. The loss marked the first at
home all season for the Penmen and snapped a 16-game unbeaten
streak at Larkin Field dating back to last season.
UMass Lowell got on the board in
the 23rd minute. An initial shot attempt from
close range by Matt Dubois was deflected by SNHU keeper
Sean Lambert (Rehoboth, MA), but Matheus Candido
collected the rebound and fired it into the right side of the
net. At the game's 29:30 mark, Matias Pientropietro tapped a
ball over to Jhony Valencia, who fired from the top right corner of
the box and put the ball in the left side.
SNHU's best chance to get on the
board in the first half came with just under five minutes left
before halftime when an attempt off a corner kick by
Richard Kentish (Kingston, Jamaica) glanced off
the left post.
The Penmen would make things
interesting with 42 seconds to play when it spoiled UML's shutout
bid. River Hawk keeper Ryan Richards stopped an initial shot
by Matt Delaney (Wallasey, England), but
Paulson Edum (Calabar, Nigeria) scored off the
rebound. Jamie Phillips (Hampton Falls, NY)
also assisted on the goal.
Richards turned aside five shots
for the River Hawks, who were outshot 14-7, including 8-0 in the
second half. Lambert made two saves for Southern New
Hampshire, which also generated a 9-6 edge in corner kicks.
SNHU was making its 14th
NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2006. UMass Lowell
is making its second trip to the national quarterfinals, as it last
reached the round of eight in 2003. The River Hawks are in
their fourth NCAA Tournament.
