LOWELL, Mass. – The Hartford men's soccer team suffered a 6-0 setback at UMass Lowell on Saturday. Freshman Kai McLoughlin netted a hat trick for the River Hawks (4-9-1, 3-3-0 America East) while teammate Damian Attidore added a pair.
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The defeat clouded the America East playoff picture for Hartford (4-9-3, 2-5-0 AE), which was looking to create some space among a crowded field. With six points in the America East standings, the Hawks are tied for eighth place alongside Binghamton, with one game left to play.
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UMBC (7-6-2, 2-3-1 AE) has seven points in the standings and will face top-ranked New Hampshire tonight. With victories on Saturday both NJIT and UMass Lowell pulled into a three-way tie for fourth place (9 points) with Stony Brook, which was off this weekend.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomore midfielder Guillermo Frances Poquet opened the scoring for the River Hawks with a goal in the second minute before McLoughlin pulled off a natural hat trick with goals in the 13th, 22nd, and 32nd minutes.
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Armed with a 4-0 halftime lead, Attidore added another pair in the second half for UMass Lowell to produce the 6-0 final result.
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It was the Hawks' largest margin of defeat since falling by an identical score, at home against Stony Brook, on Oct. 26, 2018.
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INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES
- UMass Lowell held a 24-5 advantage in shots
- The River Hawks also held the edge in shots on goal (10-1) and corners (7-3)
- Hartford goalkeeper Rotem Fadida finished with three saves and reserve keeper Nate DiLoreto logged one save to give him three on the year
- UMass Lowell backup keeper Loucas Costeas logged the River Hawks' lone save in the game, after replacing starter Christian Miesch in the 68th minute
- Hartford is 1-6-1 on the road this season
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NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks will close out the America East regular season on Monday, Nov. 1, at 7 pm. when they host NJIT on Al-Marzook Field. The Highlanders (4-10-1, 3-5-1 AE) picked up a big 3-2 victory at Binghamton Saturday and will host UMBC on Thursday (Oct. 28). The game against the Highlanders is now a must-win to keep the Hawks' postseason hopes afloat.
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