UNH Defeats UMass Lowell, 2-0, to Clinch America East Tourney Berth

Friday, October 30

Durham, N.H.

6 PM

University of New Hampshire

7-5-3, 2-3-1

UMass Lowell

5-6-3, 1-4-1

Team	1	2	Final F
UMass Lowell	0	0	0
New Hampshire	0	2	2

Cabot McLaren celebrates the game-winning goal vs. UMass Lowell (10-30-26)

Photo by: Lucy Olson

10/30/2026 8:48:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. – Junior Cabot McLaren (Sugar Hill, N.H.) and sophomore Xahvi DeRoza (Warwick, Bermuda) both scored goals as the University of New Hampshire men's soccer team defeated UMass Lowell, 2-0, on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium to clinch a bid to the America East Tournament.

Sophomore goalkeeper Aaron Choi (Stow, Mass.) made five saves for the Wildcats to record his fourth shutout of the season.

The Wildcats advance to 7-5-3 overall (2-3-1 AE), while the River Hawks fall to 5-6-3 (1-4-1 AE).

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats conclude the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Bryant at 7 p.m.

Score: New Hampshire 2, UMass Lowell 0
Records: UNH (7-5-3, 2-3-1 AE); UML (5-6-3, 1-4-1 AE)
Location: Durham, N.H. (Wildcat Stadium)
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Attendance: 345

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Wildcats had an opportunity in the 20th minute as graduate student Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain) chipped the ball past goalie Alvaro Medrano, but it was cleared out by the River Hawks defense.
The Wildcats capitalized on a free kick from the right corner in the 52nd minute (51:27) when sophomore Mikael Pulkkinen (Helsinki, Finland) sent a crossing pass to the far post for sophomore Laurin Preuss (Kirchheim Teck, Germany), who headed the ball to McLaren to finish the play and put the 'Cats up 1-0.
In the 70th minute (69:47), DeRoza gave the Wildcats an insurance goal as senior Daniel Firek (Mississauga, Ontario) found DeRoza on the corner kick for the header goal.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

This is New Hampshire's 12th straight win against UMass Lowell.
UNH outshot UMass Lowell, 11-8, in total shots.
The River Hawks had a 5-4 edge in shots on goal.
UNH secured eight total corner kicks, while UMass Lowell had two.
Choi recorded five saves for the Wildcats, while Medrano posted two.

GO CATS TRAVEL:

Making the trip to cheer on the Wildcats? Book your hotel at GoCatsTravel.com — you'll get the same rate as Expedia or Booking.com, and 50% of proceeds goes straight back to UNH Athletics.