Boxscore

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Rudy Kocandrle had the lone goal of the match in the 12th minute on Saturday night as No. 22 nationally ranked Massachusetts Lowell defeated the Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer team 1-0 in Northeast-10 Conference play at Jess Dow Field.

The River Hawks got all the offense they would need early on when Kocandrle gave the club a 1-0 lead which they would not relinquish. A cross from the right side of the field by Matias Pietropinto found Kocandrle directly in front of the goal at the top of the six-yard box. Kocandrle's shot beat senior goalkeeper Brendan Lawless (Orleans, Mass.) to tally the eventual game-winner. Massachusetts Lowell would dominate the first half, as they held a 10-4 shots advantage heading into the halftime break.

The River Hawks would also have the best chance of the second half. In the 56th minute, Matias Pietropinto was awarded a penalty kick after being brought down by Lawless in the penalty area. On the penalty kick, Pietropinto struck a shot hard along the ground towards the lower left corner. However, the shot skipped just past the cage and the score would remain 1-0 the remainder of the way. Shot attempts were even at 6-6 in the second half and Massachusetts Lowell held a 16-10 advantage over the entire game.

Ryan Richards finished with two saves to post the shutout victory for Massachusetts Lowell. Lawless made zero saves in net for SCSU.

The Owls return to action on Tuesday, September 18 when they travel to visit Stonehill in a Northeast-10 Conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Skyhawk Field in Easton, Mass.