UMass-Lowell Upsets SNHU

River Hawks Move on to Face Dowling

November 17, 2008

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Two Lowell natives helped the fourth-seeded UMass-Lowell men’s soccer team upset No. 1 seed Southern New Hampshire, 2-1, in the NCAA DII East Region Semifinal on Sunday.

Junior Jhony Valencia and freshman Mateus Candido notched goals 7:28 apart in the first half to propel the River Hawks (13-3-4) to the East Region final where they will visit No. 2 Dowling College in Brentwood, NY, next weekend at a time to be determined. Dowling was a 3-1 winner over No. 6 Franklin Pierce.

“We are so pleased to have advanced against a team of true quality and class,” said UML coach Ted Priestly. “Southern New Hampshire was fantastic from start to finish, and we congratulate them on a tremendous season.”

The River Hawks return to the tournament quarterfinal for the second time, while SNHU caps its season at 15-3-4.

Candido gave the River Hawks a 1-0 edge in the 23rd minute when Penmen goalkeeper Sean Lambert thwarted an attempt from senior Matt Dubois (Dracut, MA), only for Candido to bundle home from close range.

Just over seven minutes later, Valencia gave the River Hawks a 2-0 cushion when he took a ball from senior Matias Pietropinto (Leominster, MA), and curled a shot from the top right corner of the box inside the left post.

The goal was Valencia’s in his two matches in the NCAAs. He scored twice in Friday’s victory over Molloy.

“It has been great to see Jhony Valencia's impact on our tournament thus far,” Priestly noted. “He doesn't often receive the notoriety that he deserves, but in this NCAA Tournament, he has been a revelation thus far.”

The Penmen nearly cut the lead in half in the 41st minute when an attempt by junior Richard Kentish was denied by the post.

Southern New Hampshire, however, pressured throughout the second half – outshooting the River Hawks 8-0 – only for it to pay off just 42 seconds from time. Senior golakeeper Ryan Richards (Holden, MA) stopped an attempt by Matt Delaney, only for junior F Paulson Edum to pounce on the rebound to cut the lead in half.