Journey Ends for Men's Soccer Team

The men's soccer team lost to Dowling in the quarterfinals of the NCAA East Region Championship.

The men’s soccer team lost to Dowling College, 1-0, in the final seconds of double overtime in the NCAA East Region Championship on Sunday, Nov. 23, in Brentwood, N.Y. The River Hawks ended their season with a 13-4-4 record and a share of the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title.

Five years ago, the team also lost to Dowling in the NCAA tournament, ending the best season in the program’s history.

“I think we can take some solace in how well we defended throughout the game,” said Coach Ted Priestly. “Dowling is full of class, quality players and we limited them to one chance.”

All year, the River Hawks offense was led by a trio of scorers: sophomore Stephen Potcner, senior Matt Dubois and senior Jamie Wangia, who combined for 26 goals and 13 assists.

“I think we should be proud of the journey. But to be honest, we’re disappointed in the final destination,” Priestly said. “We expected to be in the Final Four. If the ball bounced differently we’d be in Tampa. Instead it’s Dowling and we wish them all the best.”

More than 100 UMass Lowell students and supporters attended the match.

“I want to extend our team’s gratitude to our fans who traveled four hours to support us,” Priestly said. “They helped turn this into virtually a home game for us and we wish we could’ve given them something else.”

- Kristen_OReilly