The UMass Boston men’s soccer team hit the road to take on Western Connecticut University Saturday, Oct 19. They came back with a 3-0 win, maintaining their now five game winning streak.
Last season, the Beacons fell to the Wolves in the Little East Conference Finals. This year, the team put everything on the field and emerged victorious against the Wolves.
From the beginning, the Beacons started out hot, netting two goals in the first fifteen minutes of the game. The opening goal was scored by freshman forward Eduardo Chirico, his fourth of the season, assisted by none other than senior forward Logan Erickson-Potter. The Beacons took their lead just 11 minutes into the match.
Just a minute later, the Beacons struck again. It came from sophomore Patrick Garcia who was assisted by senior defenseman Diego Gisholt. This brought the Beacons to a 2-0 lead against the Wolves.
The last nail in the Wolves’ coffin was hammered in, in the 68th minute of the match, by Erickson-Potter, his fourth goal of the season. He was assisted by freshman midfielder Pedro De Amorrortu, bringing the Beacons to their 3-0 win.
The Beacons did a good job weeding out high-scoring chances, but allowed a good amount of shots: the Wolves had 18 attempted shots with just nine landing on target, while the Beacons attempted 10 shots with four on target — three of four went by Western Connecticut’s last line.
Graduate goalkeeper Andy Ramirez, who was named the goalie of the week by the Little East Conference, had another shut-out. He recorded saves on nine of nine shots against one of the top scoring teams in the LEC.
Assistant coach Marcelo Cunha’s end goal, he said, is winning the LEC title. The way the Beacons are moving forward with the season, his goal will be well within the reach.
Apart from Ramirez, there were two other Beacons who took home the Little East honors this week. Erickson-Potter was named offensive player of the week; he has a way of making an impact on the field, he plays a position of his own, and is always there for an assist, shot or even just to make a defensive play. He is the most well-rounded player on the team.
The third player, who was named LEC rookie of the week, was Chirico. He’s had a smashing start to his collegiate career with his spectacular dribbling skills as well as his production. He has won hearts with his amazing footwork.
What started as a rather stale season took a complete 180 once the Beacons gained their momentum. Their rocky start is behind them, and they’re rallying behind the loss of senior goalkeeper JJ Devine. It was greatly felt by the team, as Cunha said: “Yeah, it was not ideal, but we still have two goalkeepers and they are doing great. The team is doing great.”
The Beacons are now all set to take on Fitchburg State University on Tuesday, Oct 29, as they vie for position in the LEC.
