Men's Soccer Finds the Road Rough in a 2-1 Loss at UML

Box Score

Lowell, Mass. – Host UMass Lowell scored the go-ahead goal in the final seconds of the first half on a controversial penalty kick and held off UMBC for a 2-1 America East Conference victory at Cushing Field.

The setback snaps UMBC's (5-3-1, 1-1-0 America East) three-game winning streak. UML won for the first time since August 30 and improved to 2-6-1, 1-1-0.

Junior midfielder Ryan Becher (Hummelstown, Pa.) scored his sixth goal of the season to knot the score at 1-1 in the 37'.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The bad breaks started early for UMBC, as reigning America East Offensive Player of the Week Taylor Calheira (Towson, Md./Concordia Prep) suffered an blow to the mouth in the 7' and did not return to the game. Calheira had scored six goals in his last three outings.
Despite Calheira's absence, UMBC controlled play and attempted the first five shots of the game.
But, in the 34', UMBC was whistled for a handball in their own zone and UML's Miklic Borna's perfectly- struck free kick from 23 yards glanced off the outstretched hands of UMBC sophomore goalkeeper Jailon Gillespie (Laurel, Del.) and into the left corner of the net.
The Retrievers responded less than four minutes later. After UML cleared a cross from the goal area, junior midfielder Mackie Sacarellos (York, Pa.) headed the ball from the right side of the box back toward the center, where a charging Becher headed it into the right corner of the cage.
It appeared the score would be knotted at 1-all at the half, but UML sent the ball into the leading left edge of the box with under 10 seconds remaining. Gillespie raced to secure the ball and collided with an onrushing River Hawk player and the head referee awarded the hosts a penalty kick. The clock, which had run down to zero, was reset to 44:54 and UML's Matthias Stingl converted past a diving Gillespie into the lower left corner.
UMBC earned three corners in the second half, but could not dent the net. Junior back Julian Conze's (Telgte, Germany) free kick from 27 yards out in the 75' was rifled on goal, but saved by Christian Miesch.