Most soccer teams take care of business during regulation. Sure, now and again overtime happens after a hard-fought battle, but for the most part these adrenaline-pumping periods are few and far between.

I guess someone forgot to tell that to the Massachusetts men’s soccer team.

With five games left in the season, the Minutemen have gone to overtime an astounding eight times, doubling their previous record of four back in the 1997 season. Oddly enough, seven of these games have taken place over the last eight contests.

On Sunday, I went to go help my colleague cover UMass’s game down at Rudd Field. We sat in our press seats, and with a minute left in the game, the Minutemen were down 3-2 to Xavier and it looked like they were on their way to a pivotal Atlantic 10 conference loss.

All of a sudden there was a “blown” call and sophomore Richard Higa found an opening and knotted the game with a mere 16 seconds left, much to the chagrin of Xavier’s head coach, Jack Hermans.

With the power of journalistic objectivity keeping me in my seat, I knew the game was over before overtime even started. As the ball trickled past the outstretched hands of Musketeer keeper, Brian Schaeper, and Higa darted away with his arms raised high, everyone, even Coach Hermans, knew the Minutemen had the upper hand.

So, when Ralph Pace’s shot was deflected and knocked home by Greg Cirillo in the second overtime, it looked like just another day in the office for UMass.

The Minutemen have pulled themselves up from early season troubles and are currently in third place in a very competitive A-10. Only four days ago, the Maroon and White were staring at the sixth and final spot in the playoff race with a youthful squad searching for its identity.

Over the first six games of the season, the Maroon and White teetered between offensive and defensive mentalities. There seemed to be no cohesion, and as the A-10 conference season drew to a close, the 2004 season looked to be a prototypical-rebuilding year for the Minutemen.

Then, with one kick and a defensive alteration, the season turned itself around.

Nearly a week before the start of the A-10 season, UMass had just dropped a heartbreaker to Harvard and lost then-sweeper Tim Kitchell due to a red card. It was clear that the Minutemen needed something to pacify the negativity that was circulating, and on September 22nd, they found the perfect scapegoat.

University of New Hampshire came to town, struggling to get a win, and was tied with UMass 2-2 at the end of regulation. It appeared that the Minutemen were on their way to another tie, when Rob Charest netted his second golden goal of the season.

Since the victory, UMass coach Sam Koch has made a defensive alteration, which puts two midfielders in the back to act as an extra line of defense. Kitchell, upon return, was also moved to the front, where he complements the forwards on offense.

Apparently the move was well deserved as Kitchell has turned into a vital cog in the Minutemen offense.

On October 10th, UMass found itself in yet another overtime battle with conference foe George Washington. In the 105th minute, Pace relayed a throw-in out of a mess in front of the Colonial goal. Kitchell came in, headed the ball, and won the game for UMass.

Not only did the goal spark the current three-game winning streak that the Minutemen are on, but it also gave Koch his 150th career win at UMass.

A win is a win, and when the season is over, the numbers don’t show the heart of a team. The Minutemen, however, are making believers of their fans. Of its six wins this season, UMass has won five of them in the extra stanza, three in double overtime.

Many would expect this effort to come from a team laden with experience, but the Minutemen have been relying on their youth to go the extra mile.

Of the nine goal-scorers for UMass this year, all but two are either sophomores or freshmen. Oral Bullen, who currently leads the team in goals with seven, has benefited from the underclassmen-scoring surge, as he is no longer the centerpiece for which teams prepare.

As the Minutemen go into the waning weeks of the 2004 season, they are looking poised and more importantly confident. Perhaps this wasn’t a rebuilding year; it could be that it was a learning experience with success.

Maybe UMass isn’t dominating this year, but it’s shown it can hang around with the best to the very end.

And sometimes, a little bit longer.

Bob McGovern is a Collegian columnist