Saturday’s weather forecast in the town of Amherst called for a cloudy day, however nobody could have forecast the kind of the day that the Massachusetts men’s soccer team would put together against the Maine Black Bears.
A tale of two teams going in opposite directions was told at Totman Field Saturday, as the Minutemen trampled over Maine 7-0. The blowout victory improved the Maroon and White’s record to 4-2, while the Black Bears dropped to 1-3 on the season.
Following a moment of silence and an emotional “Star-Spangled Banner” for the victims in the Sept. 11 attacks, the Minutemen took the field and immediately took control of the match.
Juniors Derek Rhodes and Jeff Deren started the barrage of scoring in the 12th minute. The two played a little give-and-go on the right side of the box leading to a speeding shot from Rhodes past Maine goalkeeper Mat Cosgrif.
Only four minutes later, sophomore Ptah Myers dribbled around two Maine defenders on the right side and scored the second goal for UMass.
“We talked about not coming out too sluggish, like we did at New Hampshire,” Head Coach Sam Koch said. “I think they did a great job of not coming out like we did over there.”
Deren has been on a roll the past couple of games and he continued his offensive explosion versus Maine. Before halftime, the Chicopee, Mass. native scored two goals – his fourth and fifth of the season – about ten minutes apart from each other, giving UMass a 4-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, UMass was just as successful as they were in the previous one.
Ten minutes into the half, junior Yuri Morales strategically tapped a ball pass the outreached arms of the goalkeeper and extended the score to 5-0.
In the 60th minute, Myers netted his second goal of the match – making the score 6-0.
Realizing the game was out of reach for the Black Bears, coach Koch gave his bench players a chance to show their skills to the UMass crowd.
The subs did not disappoint. They were able to sustain the pressure left by the starters.
Freshman Gabe Barnard executed a perfect corner kick when junior Jason Golesky fired a pass from the right corner to the flying Barnard who headed the ball through the net. The beautifully performed goal gave the Maroon and White a 7-0 lead en route to its third victory in a row.
“They all did a great job today,” Koch said. “I am very pleased with what they have done.”
Maine only had 4 shots on goal for the day, thanks in part to the stifling UMass defense.
“The defense starts with our front runners, having to put pressure on their backs,” Koch said. “Our mid-fielders have picked it up and our back has been real good.”
Junior John Lytton has picked up his play of late and it was apparent in Saturday’s match when he got an assist on Myers’ second goal. His defense has kept the pressure off of senior goalkeeper Bryan O’Quinn.
“John [Lytton] has really solidified the back now,” Koch remarked.
UMass played a complete game and it is evident in the score. However, the skipper knows that his squad still has some things to work on before its Atlantic 10 schedule starts.
“It certainly helps that we have been playing well,” he said. “Bottom line though is we are 0-0 going into the game.”
“We need to limit our touches a little more,” Koch added. “We are playing some balls in the back that are not real good ones.”
UMass gets a full week to prepare for its first A-10 opponent, Rhode Island. The match is slated for 1 p.m. at Totman Field. If the team can make the necessary adjustments by game time on Saturday, the forecast will be looking good for the Minutemen.