NO. 20 UMASS-LOWELL SNEAKS BY MEN’S SOCCER IN NCAA EAST REGION QUARTERFINAL, 3-2

Box Score vs. UMass-Lowell - November 14, 2008 

MANCHESTER, N.H. (Nov. 14, 2008) - On Friday afternoon, the fifth-seeded Molloy College men's soccer team lost a close 3-2 decision to the fourth-seeded and No. 20 River Hawks of University of Massachusetts - Lowell in the outset round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at Larkin Field on the grounds of Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H. With the loss, the Lions ended the 2008 season with an overall record of 12-6-2. 

In an offensive-packed opening stanza, U-Mass Lowell went into the intermission with a 2-1 lead. Molloy struck first in the 12th-minute as sophomore forward Emmanuel Gamez (Freeport, N.Y.) punched a ball from the inside of the box into a wide-open left side of the goal off a cross from junior forward John-Paul Hughes (Manchester, England). 

The River Hawks responded with two unanswered tallies on header goals. Seven minutes later, junior midfielder Jhony Valencia (Lowell, Mass.) connected on a shot that found its way inside the right post off a dual-assist from sophomore forward Stephen Potcner (Wilmington, Mass.) and senior forward Matias Pietropinto (Leominster, Mass.). 

The second score came as part of a UML penalty kick. Molloy senior goalkeeper Ettore Morelli (North Bellmore, N.Y.) had a stop with his right hand on Valencia. Freshman midfielder Diego Tabares (Seekonk, Mass.) then put back a rebound into the right side to give the River Hawks the one-goal advantage (2-1). 

In the second half, Molloy came out strong. Just over a minute into the period, Gamez was tripped in the penalty box and the Lions were awarded with a penalty kick. Senior midfielder William Bell (Valley Stream, N.Y.), who had been successful on all four of his attempts this season, recorded his fifth. The tally was his seventh for the 2008 campaign.

Later on, in the 82^nd-minute, Valencia picked up his second goal of the game when he kicked a shot into the top shelf off passes from Potcner (his second assist) and Pietropinto (his second assist). The score also proved to be the eventual game-winner for UMass-Lowell (12-3-4). 

Morelli made a game-high five saves for Molloy, while junior keeper Ryan Richards (Holden, Mass.) turned aside two shots for UML. The Lions held a 7-4 margin in corner kicks, while the River Hawks owned a 16-11 advantage in shots. 

Molloy had a lot of firsts this year. The Lions won their first-ever East Coast Conference title and also sported six All-East Coast Conference honorees, which included a defensive player of the year in senior midfielder Nick Bell (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and a goalie of the year (Morelli.)