Men’s soccer coaxed the University of Massachusetts Lowell back to Burlington on Saturday, Oct. 11, in hopes of continuing Vermont’s eight-game win streak against the River Hawks since 2018.
The undefeated Catamounts took the pitch, ranked No. 8 nationally and second only to Bryant University in America East.
Following Vermont’s unlikely 1-1 draw against Harvard University on Oct. 7, Lowell managed another tie against the Cats. Men’s soccer looks to catch up on wins as the bulk of conference play awaits in their final four regular season matchups.
Neither side convincingly settled the ball in the first quarter of play. Lowell took the first go at the goal, redirected by a sprawling save from sophomore goalkeeper Niklas Herceg. A succeeding crossbar ping by sophomore midfielder Ryan Zellefrow put the River Hawks back on edge.
Vermont steadily slashed crosses through Lowell’s box all half, but the Cats weren’t positioned to execute at the receiving end. The two teams shared the ball almost evenly at 47% Lowell, 53% Vermont in the first 45 minutes, but attempts on target favored Lowell, four shots to none.
“We just talked about keeping the ball a little more and trying to play through them more instead of over them,” said Zellefrow about the Cats’ halftime huddle.
On their return from the break, three consecutive corners for Vermont had fans on their feet for a turning point, but none slipped through Lowell’s packed goal line. The Cats have taken 93 corners this season, the most in the conference, but had unusual trouble burying them against the River Hawks.
“Especially on crosses, we can’t wait for the ball to land on our head,” said coach Rob Dow post-game. “We have to get across the defender and trust that the ball will arrive. If not, the next guy’s coming in underneath.”
Lowell’s goalkeeper stared down two Vermont forwards on a breakaway in the 63rd minute, which would be Vermont’s most promising grab at an advantage. Against the odds, the River Hawks’ keeper swiped the ball out from Vermont’s feet.
Despite denying the River Hawks on defense, the Cats ultimately couldn’t up their score. The 0-0 final puts Vermont at eight wins and five ties this season.
“Their style of play was very man-oriented, and it ruffled our feathers some. But what happens is, when we don’t score and that persists, the opponent gets confidence in the game plan,” coach Dow said.
Men’s soccer travels to the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 18 and later to No. 1 Bryant University on Oct. 25. Vermont will play Bryant for the first time since the 2024 America East championship, which sent the Cats over the Bulldogs to the Division I NCAA tournament.
“Tough games coming up, but I’ll have a tough talk, good film session after this and get back at it,” Zellefrow said.
