GAME: University of Hartford Men's Soccer (7-8-3, 2-2-2 America East) at UMass Lowell (12-1-2, 4-1-1 AE)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, Nov. 2 / 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Cushing Field (Lowell, Mass.)
LINKS: Watch / Stats
 
 
THE BASICS
The University of Hartford men's soccer team (7-8-3, 2-2-2 America East) will wrap up its regular-season slate on the road at UMass Lowell (12-1-2, 4-1-1 AE) on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. The River Hawks lead the conference with 13 points, but are ineligible for postseason play as a result of the UML's move up to Division I, in 2013. The River Hawks, who were ranked No. 19 in the latest NCAA poll, will be eligible for postseason play in 2017.
 
The match has major playoff implications for the Hawks, who currently sit in fifth place among playoff-eligible teams. Hartford could finish as high as No. 2 in the conference, or as low as No. 6. Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on www.AmericaEast.TV.
 

LAST TIME OUT
New Hampshire sophomore Chris Arling, the top striker in America East, scored a pair of goals to lead the Wildcats to a 2-1 win in West Hartford, on Saturday, Oct. 29.
The Hawks launched a second-half assault, breaking through with a goal from freshman Kelechi Akujobi in the 67^th minute, but the comeback bid fell short.
 
The River Hawks are fresh off a 1-0 victory against Albany, which is tied for No. 2 in the playoff standings. Senior Wuilito Fernandes netted the game-winner in the 24^th minute and UML's defense kept the pressure off junior goalkeeper Austin Kroll, who finished with one save in his fifth shutout of the season.

 
PLAYOFF POSITION
Hartford has already locked up a spot in the America East postseason, but the Hawks' playoff seeding will be determined by Wednesday's full slate of conference games. With a win, the Hawks could finish as high as the No. 2 seed, but they would also need Binghamton (six points) to win against Albany (10 points), New Hampshire (12 points) to win or draw against Vermont (nine points) and UMBC (zero points) to defeat Stony Brook (10 points).
 
Should Hartford climb to the No. 2 spot, the Hawks would earn a first-round bye before hosting a semifinal game, on Wednesday, Nov. 9. If the Hawks finish ranked No. 3 or No. 4, they would host a quarterfinal game on Saturday, Nov. 5. If Hartford finishes outside the top four, the Hawks would be on the road in the quarterfinals.
 
Hartford's last trip to the playoffs came in 2014, when the Hawks finished as runners-up (against UMBC) in the America East title game.
 

SERIES HISTORY
The Hawks are 3-0 all-time against UML and have outscored the River Hawks 8-2 in those games. Hartford won, 2-0, last year at home, with goals from Andrew Murry and Jeff Tryon. The last time the two teams met in Lowell the Hawks came away with a 1-0 overtime victory on a goal by Javoni Simms, assisted by Udi Cohen. Cohen and Tryon, now seniors, will be both making their final regular-season appearance with the Hawks on Wednesday.
 

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
The River Hawks have allowed just 11 goals this season and lead the America East with a goals against average of 0.70 goals per game. The secret to UML's success has been keeping the opposition away from Kroll who, despite owning a conference-best .822 save percentage, ranks seventh in the league with just 37 saves this season. Opponents are averaging just 9.7 shots per game against UML.
 
Offensively, Lowell has produced one of the most efficient attacks in the conference. The team ranks seventh in shots, averaging 11 per game, but its goals per game average of 1.80 is third in the America East. Fernandes is tied for second in the conference with 10 goals, while Ivan Abramovic is tied for fourth, with nine. Both Abramovic and Dario Jovanovski are tied for second in the conference standings with seven assists apiece.
 

#TAKEFL16HT
Tryon caught fire offensively in the past week, scoring three of his team-best six goals since Oct. 25. He headed home the game-winner in a 1-0 victory at UMBC and scored both of the Hawks' goals in a 2-1 overtime win against Yale. Tryon's six goals tie his single-season best, set as a freshman in 2013, and his 20 career goals rank No. 10 on the Hawks' all-time list, alongside Carlos Villa (20; 2008-09) and one behind Dominic Wilcox (21; 1996-99).
 

BREAKOUT SEASON
Freshman goalkeeper Jimmy Slayton leads the conference with seven shutouts and ranks second in the conference in goals against average (0.93), second in save percentage (.795) and third in saves (58). Slayton's 58 saves rank eighth all-time among Hartford freshmen, behind Kevin Hickey's 63, in 1993.
 
Slayton set a new career high with 10 saves during the Hawks' 1-0 win at Vermont, on Oct. 15. His 10 saves were the most for a Hawks keeper since Nenad Cudic logged 10, against Penn State, in 2009.
 

DEFENSE FIRST
The Hawks' defense ranks No. 4 during America East play, with six goals allowed in six conference games. Hartford is also tied for the league lead with a trio of shutouts against Vermont, Albany and UMBC.
 
Through 18 games, the Hawks have held opponents to two goals or fewer 15 times this season. Defenders Andre Morrison, Mads Friis and Kelechi Akujobi have started in each of Hartford's seven shutouts, while Mike Barry has started in five.
 

IRON MEN
Morrison and midfielder Gael Kisombe have started all 18 games for the Hawks this season. Morrison, who is averaging 94 minutes per game, leads the team in minutes played (1,680 out of 1,705) and complete games (16), with Kisombe (1,584 minutes; 10 complete games) close behind.
 
Friis (1,525 minutes) made his 16^th start in 16 appearances at UMBC, playing his 15^th complete game in the process. None of the Hawks' other field players have accumulated more than 1,365 minutes.
 

COHEN IS ALL CLASS
Cohen was selected as one of 30 national semifinalists for the Senior CLASS Award, one of collegiate soccer's top honors, in October. The award, which is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, takes into account four aspects of each student-athlete's profile: Character, Community, Class (academics) and Competition.
 
Cohen leads the team in assists (five) and ranks second in points (nine). He boasts a 3.57 cumulative grade point average and is a four-time Dean's List selection and a two-time member of both the President's List and the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll. Finalists for the Senior CLASS Award will be announced in the coming weeks.