Finally, it is getting the credit it deserves.
Whether you believe it or not, the Massachusetts men’s soccer team is now ranked No. 19 in the nation according to this week’s CollegeSoccer.com media poll.
The Maroon and White has made leaps and strides all year and at long last it is receiving attention on the national level. UMass is standing at 13-3 on the year and is currently riding a nine-game winning streak. With an 8-1 in-conference record, the squad is tied for first place in the Atlantic 10 conference with the Rhode Island Rams.
This weekend the Minutemen finish off their regular season in Ohio when they face off with two A-10 foes, Dayton on Friday night and Xavier on Sunday afternoon.
Last Sunday against George Washington, UMass clinched its third consecutive trip to the A-10 post-season tournament, so now the goal is to grab the first place spot and hold it.
Rhode Island is making the same road trip to the Buckeye State this weekend. If the Rams lose one of the matches and UMass wins both of its, the Minutemen will have the No. 1 spot in the tourney. If at the end of the weekend the two squads still have the same record, URI will come away with the top spot thanks to its 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Minutemen on Sept. 29 in Amherst. As a result, it is very important for UMass to pick up two wins over the weekend.
But the task at hand is a difficult one, as it will duel with two quality opponents.
Dayton is currently in third place in the A-10 with a 6-2-1-conference record. The Flyers have a 9-6-2 mark on the year.
They are fighting to get into one of the top two spots of the A-10 and this weekend they have a chance to accomplish that goal – playing UMass today and URI on Sunday.
Unlike Dayton, Xavier has had an inauspicious year. It is currently 4-5 in the A-10 and 6-10-1 overall. Things have gotten so bad that Musketeer athletic director Mike Bobinski orchestrated moving the A-10 tourney to Dayton instead of Xavier because their field is “short of championship quality.”
This weekend Massachusetts will try to bring some championship quality play to the Xavier and Dayton fields and possibly walk away on top of the mountain of the A-10 conference.