Score: UAlbany 2, UMass Lowell 0

Location: Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.

Records: UAlbany (6-4-1, 2-1-0 AE); UMass Lowell (7-3-1, 2-1-0 AE)

Short story: UAlbany knocks off UMass Lowell 2-0 while recognizing the 1989 Great Dane team, handing the Riverhawks their first loss in six games.

Key stats

• Austin DaSilva scored his ninth and 10th goals of the season
• UMass Lowell conceded a goal after shutting out each of its last five opponents
• UAlbany outshot UMass Lowell 7-3 in the first half
• UMass Lowell controlled 58% of the game's possession
• UAlbany is now 6-1-1 in its last eight games

Coach Gorman: “UMass Lowell has some fantastic players.  They like to pass the ball around, they have excellent spacing, and they're a good soccer team.  We have guys that like to play that way as well, and we enjoy playing against them because we know we're going to be called upon to do those kinds of things.  It makes for good, entertaining viewing, and fortunately tonight we got the goals at the right time.  Tonight we tried to find the ball in dangerous areas and counter in and our guys did a good guys of trapping and forcing mistakes.”

Recap

On a night where the 18-win 1989 UAlbany men's soccer team was honored at halftime, the University at Albany men's soccer team continued its rivalry against UMass Lowell.  The Great Danes remained undefeated against the Riverhawks at Casey Stadium, knocking off UMass Lowell 2-0.

UAlbany and UMass Lowell have met in each of the last two America East Tournaments, with the Great Danes winning in the 2017 championship game and the Riverhawks winning in the 2018 quarterfinal.  In the eight meetings prior to Saturday, the teams each won four games, and UAlbany was the only team to have won on the other's home field.  Further, six of the eight games had been decided by one goal.

In the 15th minute, Austin DaSilva broke through the Riverhawks' defense after intercepting a pass and beat the UMass Lowell goalkeeper, Zach Rowell, one-on-one to put UAlbany up 1-0.  It was the first goal UMass Lowell had conceded in five games.  For DaSilva, it was his ninth goal of the season, moving him into a tie for fourth in single-season program history in the Division I era with Nick Southworth's 2000 season and Claudio Dantas' 2008 season.

The Great Dane defense held UMass Lowell to just three shots in the first half, and UAlbany took their 1-0 lead into the break.

At halftime, representatives from the 1989 men's soccer team were honored on the field alongside a collection of other men's soccer alumni.  The 1989 team's 18 victories remain the most in a single season in program history, and featured all-time leading goal scorer Lee Tschantret, who finished his career with 51 goals.

“It was fantastic to be able to play in front of the 1989 team and our other alumni,” said head coach Trevor Gorman.  “It was so nice to see those guys back on campus tonight, some of them for the first time, some of them seeing each other for the first time in years, and reminiscing about the great victories and championships they had.  And seeing them share the experience with younger alumni who have been here more recently in the Division-I era, and everyone coming together and getting to see a game like this and seeing the current team get a victory is really great.  We want to keep building on that because a program is from many decades and many years, and to have guys from all different pasts come together and support the current, it makes your program stronger.  Hopefully we can have many more nights like this in future years.”

In the 54th minute, DaSilva intercepted another pass deep in UMass Lowell territory and fought off two defenders to score his second goal of the game, and his 10th of the season.  DaSilva moved into third place all time in single-season program history in the Division I era, tied with Nico Solabarrieta's 2018 season.  Since moving to Division I, DaSilva is only the third player in program history to score 10 or more goals in a single season (Solabarrieta '18, Afonso Pinherio '15 & '16).

Tempers flared in the 56th minute after a hard foul.  DaSilva and UMass Lowell's Roko Prsa each drew red cards, leaving both teams to finish the game with 10 players.

UMass Lowell ended up outshooting UAlbany 5-3 in the second half, but only two of their eight shots all night were on target.  Their best scoring opportunity came in the 78th minute when Chase Reichenberg's header slipped past UAlbany goalkeeper Isac Hjerten but bounced off the crossbar and out of danger.

Four of the Riverhawks' five shots came following the dual red cards, two of which were on target and saved by Hjerten.  UAlbany shot twice in the final 35 minutes, and likewise did not find the back of the net to lengthen their lead.  Following an even possession distribution in the first half, UMass Lowell finished the game commanding possession for 58% of gametime.  The Great Danes went on to win by a final score of 2-0, their most lopsided victory over UMass Lowell in nine meetings since 2013.

The Great Danes are now 6-1-1 in their last eight games after starting the season 0-3-0, and their victory tonight snapped a six-game winning streak for the Riverhawks.

Up next: The Great Danes continue conference play on Saturday, October 19 at UMBC.