As is the case in many love affairs, you usually don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. For UMass Boston men’s goalie Domenick Persuitte, the one that got away was soccer.

Persuitte had a brilliant career for the Barnstable High School soccer team in which he became a two-year letterman and captain. However, when Persuitte got to college, he felt that he needed to leave his high school sweetheart behind and and get some space.

After a break from the relationship during his freshman and sophomore years, Persuitte finally had a change of heart.

“I realized that I had one last opportunity to play the sport that I loved,” he said. “The previous years I never had the mindset to play. But after talking with the captain, I felt like I could find my roots again in playing the sport.”

Persuitte finally joined the UMass Boston men’s soccer team last season and quickly discovered that although his desire to play had returned, he found out that everything else would require a little more time.

“It was very difficult to get back into the swing of things,” he said. “I used to play everyday, so I was always in shape. The time off changed that. It was tough to get back to that point, but somehow I managed to push through. All I could think about is that I wanted to play the sport that I loved again.”

With that positive mindset, it didn’t take long for Persuitte to get going. In only the third game of his career, against Suffolk University, he stopped 7 shots in recording his first career shutout.

Head coach Myles Berry credited it to Persuitte’s work ethic.

“It’s definitely his hard work,” he said. “That and how he plays the game help him stand out.”

That same hard work helped Persuitte wrap up an exceptional two year career at UMass Boston. He finished last season with 101 saves for a 6.31 saves per game mark. The totals were good for conference ranks of second and first respectively. This season his 82 saves had him second in the conference, while his 5.86 saves per game has him first.

Lost in those numbers are the total of critical saves Persuitte has made over his career.

“He’s capable of making a lot of those great saves,” Berry said. “He came up huge for us over the last two seasons. He’s kept us in games that we might have let get away from us.”

However, Persuitte is quick to push the credit away from himself.

“I stepped onto the field not knowing anything or what to expect,” Persuitte said. “But after the first year, I learned that playing as a team is much better than playing by yourself. My teammates and coaches have helped me so much.”

Playing during the Beacons senior night, Persuitte helped the Beacons finish their season with a 1-1 tie after 120 minutes of play. He recorded 8 saves on the day.

With his senior year coming to an end, Persuitte will once again say goodbye to one of the love’s of his life.

“I will miss everything,” he said. “From the bus rides to the away games, messing around in the locker room, and playing jokes on each other. But mainly, just playing the sport. I loved representing UMass every time I stepped onto the field. I will miss that more than anything.”

But Persuitte isn’t the only one who will be feeling a sense of loss. Berry will have to deal with the tough task of replacing his former keeper.

“We’re happy with the kids we have behind him, but we’re going to miss his leadership, Berry said. “He was more of a calming presence. He doesn’t get ruffled. He’s always talking and working hard.”

Although his playing days are behind him, Persuitte has no plans to leave the game completely, proving once again that true love conquers all.

“I love this sport,” he said. “I would even consider coaching. Teaching kids to play the sport would be better than doing nothing with it.”