Men’s soccer set the field ablaze with two back-to-back statement wins, beating the University of New England 5-0 Sept. 16 and Rhode Island College 4-1 Sept. 20.
The Beacons opened the match against the University of New England Nor’easters as sophomore midfielder Felipe De Andrade scored in just 90 seconds after kick-off. De Andrade then successfully netted another in the 23rd minute, giving the Beacons a 2-0 lead.
Apart from De Andrade, the Beacons kept the Nor’easters on a tight leash throughout the first half as junior forward John Arruda scored for the team in the sixth minute. This was followed by junior forward Rafael Gross, who lit up the scoreboard with one of his own, concluding the first half with a 4-0 lead over their opponents.
The Beacons continued their power play in the second half, giving the Nor’easters no opportunity to score. Junior midfielder Ryan Doherty scored a grace point for the Beacons in the 74th minute, sealing the deal for the team.
Against Rhode Island College, the Beacons started off strong, keeping possession of the ball for the majority of the first and second half. But it wasn’t enough, as the Rhode Island Anchormen netted their first goal in the 35th minute. The Beacons entered halftime down 1-0.
In the second half, star midfielder De Andrade stepped in, scoring the Beacons’ first goal of the game in the 56th minute and changing the trajectory of the match. Shortly after, Arruda netted his own, giving the Beacons a 2-1 lead. He struck again in the 85th minute, securing the team’s win.
Junior midfielder Nick Braganca, within seconds of entering the game, gave the Beacons their 4-1 win by scoring in the last eight seconds of the game.
Freshman goalkeeper Nolan McKenna was a force in the post. “I was a little shaken up at first, coming in when JJ [Devine] got injured. But I got the nerves over after a couple time when I got a little action back there. I feel like I have started to adjust really well,” he said.
His single-handed save against the Anchormen with no line of defense robbed the opponent of a lead in the second half. “It was definitely a weird save, I had to react quick to it and I stuck out my left foot and made that save,” he said. “Rhode Island is definitely a tough team; they are pretty physical. I think in the first half we were a little sluggish but we definitely picked up in the second half.”
The Beacons have a lot of history with the Anchormen, losing the Little East Conference title to them in the 2024 season.
“The first half was kind of hard, because they played a lot of defense, and then the second half was good, like we could score. For the first goal, I practiced a lot with shooting, and then I got lucky with a good shot,” Arruda said. “The team are very happy for the first win in LEC.”
The Beacons play at home Monday against Bridgewater State University.
