UMass Boston’s men’s soccer team took down UMass Dartmouth, 2-1, on Wednesday, Oct 2, on the road.
The Beacons finally ended up taking a win home after a two game stretch of draws—UMass Boston has tied four of their last six games after their win against the Corsairs. Even though it was a narrow win for the Beacons, it was an important step for the team to break out of their slump.
No first half goals for either team. The Beacons opened scoring in the second half when senior defensemen Diego Gisholt assisted sophomore forward John Arruda to net the first goal of the match for the Beacons.
Nearly 20 minutes later this was followed by another goal from the Beacons when sophomore midfielder Patrick Garcia scored his first of the year, assisted by senior Logan Erickson-Potter. Garcia made it 2-0 Beacons.
This gave UMass Boston a considerable advantage over the Corsairs, but UMass Dartmouth weren’t ones to sit back and give in so easily. Just five minutes after the Beacons second goal, the Corsairs scored one of their own in the 85th minute, narrowing the gap to a one goal game.
This gave the Corsairs some hope, as they could still salvage whatever was left of the game.
However, despite the score, the course of the game was leaning in favor of the Beacons as they mustered 23 shots, 10 of which on the Corsairs net, while the UMass Dartmouth were only able to take eight shots, and only five hitting the markof the Beacon net.
Hope was distant for the Corsairs, and it eventually faded into a one goal loss.
Some physicality played a role in the match, both teams picking up too many fouls. Gisholt and Garcia both received bookings, and the Corsairs, despite desperate attempts to score, were called for 10 fouls and three yellow cards, hindering any chance they had of tying the game.
The Beacons hit a slump, they’ve already tied more matches this year than they had last season. Even though they haven’t lost many matches, they aren’t winning them either. It’s time to turn things around and head in a better direction, and their win over UMass Dartmouth could be a start.
This win could finally help the Beacons gain back their momentum and their confidence. The lack of wins can be seen taking a toll on the team, “I think we just get a little bit nervous and start losing our heads and then end up making stupid mistakes,” said senior goalkeeper JJ Devine.
The Beacons are paying big prices for their small mistakes, as it irreversibly hurt them in the standings. But the new players seem to have gelled in well with the veterans, it’s time to string together some wins.
The team has prepared for these matches for a very long time, and have some more time to change the trajectory of the season. They still have a long way to go in terms of conference matches, but there is still hope to win the Little East Conference.
