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The UMass Lowell River Hawks are the 20th team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the first team from America East. The River Hawks went 4-12 for the second straight season, but did win their first ever AE conference game with a 12-11 win over Hartford.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
UMass Lowell’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 2/3 | UMass Lowell | Brown | Scrimmage | |
| 2/10 | UMass Lowell | Quinnipiac | First ever meeting | |
| 2/17 | UMass Lowell | Harvard | 14-9 L | |
| 2/24 | UMass Lowell | Siena | 18-13 W | |
| 3/3 | Monmouth | UMass Lowell | 7-6 L | |
| 3/6 | UMass Lowell | Providence | 11-4 L | |
| 3/10 | Manhattan | UMass Lowell | 13-6 W | |
| 3/13 | UMass | UMass Lowell | 10-8 L | |
| 3/17 | UMass Lowell | Binghamton | America East | 15-8 L |
| 3/24 | Albany | UMass Lowell | America East | 21-11 L |
| 3/31 | UMBC | UMass Lowell | America East | 10-6 L |
| 4/7 | UMass Lowell | Vermont | America East | 12-11 L |
| 4/10 | Dartmouth | UMass Lowell | 14-8 L | |
| 4/14 | Hartford | UMass Lowell | America East | 12-11 W |
| 4/21 | UMass Lowell | Stony Brook | America East | 12-11 L/OT |
| 4/28 | NJIT | UMass Lowell | 12-5 W |
Gone are Boston University and Fairfield. The River Hawks decided to only replace one of those opponents with Quinnipiac from the MAAC.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Nonconference Game: vs. UMass
Despite the identical record, the River Hawks definitely improved last season. They lost by one to eventual MAAC champion Monmouth, and they lost by two to UMass after holding a lead in the first half. This could be the year the River Hawks take down some of these bigger-name opponents.
Best Conference Game: @ Stony Brook
UMass Lowell lost in overtime to the Seawolves last year, one of two 12-11 defeats, with the other coming against Vermont. Had the results flipped in favor of the River Hawks, they would’ve been in the America East Tournament. With the momentum they got at the end of last year, I think they can beat Stony Brook.
Under The Radar Game: vs. Monmouth
Monmouth has a large senior class departing, especially on defense. UMass Lowell is where Monmouth was last year as a fourth-year program. It’d be interesting to see how fifth-year Monmouth performs and what it could mean for Ed Stephenson’s program in 2019.
Possible Upset: vs. UMBC
I have a strong feeling the River Hawks get at least one interesting upset, and maybe even two. Could UMBC be one of those upsets? Absolutely. The Retrievers were the second seed in the America East Tournament last year thanks to beating Binghamton by a goal in the regular season. This would be a pleasant surprise if an upset did occur.