A trip up north is always worth it if things don’t go south when you’re there, and men’s soccer made sure to come back to Columbia Point in high spirits, with Halloween approaching. The Beacons went into Castleton, Vt. to take on Vermont State University Castleton in a Little East Conference battle. Despite the grueling ride to the landlocked Green Mountain State, they managed to stop the Knights in their tracks and blow them out of the water, towering over them with a stupendous 6–0 win, according to Beacons Athletics. [1]
Men’s soccer clicked from the get-go, breaching the Knights’ home turf with three shots on net in a 56-second span; Marron Acheampong netted his first goal of the year a few minutes later in minute 11. From there on out, the Beacons poured it on with two more goals in the first half. It was a day of firsts for the team, as Annilson DePina pulled the Beacons ahead with a 2–0 lead, also scoring his first of the year 23 minutes in. Gabe Meireles followed suit with a goal off a penalty kick five minutes later—as noted by Beacons Athletics—and the Beacons put their anchor down and were planting their flag in the Knights’ castle less than a half hour into the game. [2]
The first half didn’t end without flying off the handle, though. The Beacons’ persistently effective offensive attack on the Knights wasn’t left unnoticed by Castleton, and some tension brewed between both parties, all of which came to a climax in the closing minute. With a handful of fouls given out to both teams throughout, the Beacons sparked some rage into their opposition, who were issued a yellow card with 32 seconds remaining before halftime. This exchange occurred mere seconds after a timely save by Beacons’ goalkeeper Qasim El-Ashkar, and with the time ticking slowly toward a monumental Beacons victory, the Knights grew defensive over UMass Boston taking their castle with relative ease. However, the stat sheet provided by Beacons Athletics proved that regardless of their retaliation, it seemed as though Castleton was fighting a losing battle. [2]
The Beacons came out of halftime maintaining their composure and energy they obtained in the first 45 minutes. Meireles potted his second goal of the game just under six minutes into the second frame after a few more shots on net kept the Beacons’ bashing going. The team now up four, UMass Boston began to hold back their beating for the time being, registering only four shots on goal in the following 15 minutes. Beacons Athletics’ stats showed that it wasn’t until minute 66 that Rafael Gross decided to kick things up a notch and find comfort in the chaos for the Beacons, stretching the lead to five with his fourth goal of the season. [2]
The Beacons were running away with the game at breakneck speed, and a seemingly hopeless squad of Knights were over their display of chivalry and tried joining UMass Boston in their goal-scoring antics, all the while growing even more angry at their subpar play. However, the Beacons didn’t let up, and El-Ashkar stopped more shots that came his way, and with under seven minutes left in the game—moments after a yellow card was issued to UMass Boston’s Nathaniel Wong—John Arruda requited his teammate with the sixth goal of the match for the Beacons; the Knights were not fans of that. This was when things got really ugly.
The Knights’ offensive showcase—or lack thereof—caused an eruption of emotions. With a yellow card issued to UMass Boston’s Robbie Callahan with under four minutes left, frustrations reached a new height for Castleton, and as the Beacons were saying “night night” to their opponent in anticipation of their 6–0 routing, Beacons Athletics reported that a yellow card was issued to Castleton’s Charlie Cisneros with four seconds left in the game. Then a red card. Not to Cisneros personally, but to Castleton’s entire team—including the head coach. [2] Needless to say, the Beacons pierced the Knights’ armor, and it was, indeed, not but a scratch, nor a flesh wound, nor a draw.
Men’s soccer’s triumphant victory over Castleton proved the group can play intensely at a high level over the course of a full game. The Beacons were riding high off of their signature win over Western Connecticut State University the week prior and kept their winning ways intact, and their weekend win over the Knights showed that when they click, they’re a force of nature out for blood.
Their six-goal win over the Knights was impressive enough, but pitching a shutout was also vital in the teams’ valiant effort. If their win over WestConn wasn’t enough of a confidence booster, then there’s no debate that their poise grew immensely after ravaging Castleton’s defense. If anything, this win sets the standard of how they hope to perform moving forward, and with the LEC tournament approaching faster than a Concorde, the Beacons will be hitting their opponents like a Mac truck if they keep this up. The LEC may be a tough group of schools to matchup with, but with UMass Boston’s track record over the past two seasons, they’ll undoubtedly be the scariest team to go against, and will be knocking on the door to destiny once again.
[1] Beacons Athletics. (2023). 2023 Men’s Soccer Schedule. https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule
[2] Beacons Athletics. (2023). MASS.-BOSTON (11-3-2, 5-1-1) -VS- VERMONT STATE CASTLE (4-10-1, 1-4-1) https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/stats/2023/vermont-state-university-castleton/boxscore/11432