The UMass Boston’s men’s soccer team faced off against the Rhode Island College Anchormen as the season came to a devastating end at the LEC semi-finals Thursday, Nov. 7.
This gripping match saw two full halves with zero goals from both the teams. The match started with the Anchormen committing two consecutive fouls in the early minutes of the game. The Beacons managed five shots on target, as compared to the Anchormen’s six.
Through the entirety of the match the Beacons could be seen playing more on the defensive end; their lack of offense really showed in the second half, even though the Beacons lineup included some of their top scorers with sophomores John Arruda, Patrick Garcia and Rafael Gross. Each of them managed to register a shot on target, but none of them panned out. Graduate goalkeeper Andy Ramirez was the backbone of the entire match. He succeeded in stopping the Anchormen’s desperate tries to score, leading them towards the tie.
Even after 90 minutes, there was no concrete winner. The match ended with a 0-0 tie. This led them into their first overtime; the Beacons were seen scrambling for a corner. With just two minutes remaining on the clock, the team had started feeling the nervousness of the pressure. Senior Max Mian was finally graced with a corner kick, which met a header from Arruda, but unfortunately ended in an Anchormen save. Junior midfielder Luan Cruz and freshman forward Jair Whyte each attempted a rebound, but the opponent goalie was able to stop their attacks.
After this, the teams entered a second overtime in the midfield, which provided the Beacons with almost no opportunity to score. In the end, a Ramirez save sent the Beacons into a penalty shoot face-off against the Anchormen.
The teams one-by-one tried their fate. The first from the Beacons was freshman forward Eduardo Chirico who managed to net a goal, followed by Whyte who served in a similar fashion. The Anchormen goalkeeper was able to make the save on the fourth ball kicked by senior Nathaniel Wong. The opponent then managed to capitalize on this goal by netting their own, putting an end to the Beacons’ season.
This was not the conclusion that a lot of people, including the team and coaching staff, were expecting. This season was proof of the Beacons’ potential. The team fought till the end and did not go down without a fight in the semifinals. This season saw a much better outcome than the 2023 season. After every single season the team comes back stronger and better. The current roster plus Coach Jake Beverlin’s strong recruitment makes new promises for the 2025 season.
Even though the Beacons did not take home the sought after LEC trophy this season, their skills and potential did not go unnoticed by the LEC, with more than three players receiving recognition and titles. The LEC favorites may not have returned home with a win to their name, but they did come back victorious, in one way or another.
