A soft spot in the schedule has finally arrived for the Massachusetts soccer team as Siena comes into Rudd Field for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday.
Historically, UMass (1-3-3) owns a 14-1-2 record against Siena. However, the Minutemen are 1-2-2 in their previous five games due to inconsistent play and a tough stretch of games in which each of UMass’ opponents owned a record above .500.
UMass coach Sam Koch believes that the tough stretch has been beneficial for his team, but he won’t take anything away from the Saints, who have a 3-5-0 record this season.
“[We’ve] had a tough run with Central Florida, Indiana, Vermont and New Hampshire,” Koch said. “It’s hard to play that many games against very good teams in that short amount of time. We’ve got to get back to work for Saturday’s game against another really good team. That’s a real positive [aspect] of the string of games we’ve had – it’s good experience.”
One reason Koch does not believe Siena’s record is reflective of their team is that they’ve had two of their key players injured: sophomore forward Emery Welshman and freshman defender Falko Friedrichs.
“They have a few really good players who are injured,” Koch said. “[We don’t know] if they’re back. We have to find out [if they are or aren’t] so we know exactly what we’re facing.”
Friedrichs made an impact right away for the Saints, scoring twice in their season-opening 5-1 victory over Syracuse. He was injured shortly after and missed the proceeding six games in which Siena went 2-4. Friedrichs received limited playing time in their most recent contest, a 2-0 loss against Vermont.
Welshman’s presence on the team proved to be invaluable last year, as he lead the Saints with six goals and 15 points as a rookie. His totals placed him in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s top-10 in both goals and points, earning him MAAC Rookie of the Year honors. He hasn’t played in Siena’s last three games, but still managed three goals and five points in the Saints’ previous five games. Whether he will play on Saturday is yet to be determined.
Joining Welshman on the MAAC’s All-Rookie Team last year was Sindre Ek. Now a sophomore, Ek is currently leads Siena with four goals. With Welshman out, Ek stands as Siena’s most dangerous offensive weapon.
If both Friedrichs and Welshman return for Saturday’s matinee, UMass’ defense needs to buckle down – something Koch has not seen consistently enough from his back four.
“I think we can play better as a unit,” Koch said. [I think] defending we can keep shape better than we [have been].”
In addition to his defenders, Koch would like to see his midfielders play with more urgency when it comes to transitioning on defense.
Before their most recent shutout loss, the Saints were rolling as they won consecutive contests, 5-3 and 2-1 against Central Connecticut and Temple, respectively. Siena will look to get back on track against UMass as its conference schedule begins a week later against Marist.
Like the Saints, Sunday’s game represents the Minutemen’s last game before their conference schedule begins against Xavier on Oct. 8. With UMass’ busy schedule in full-swing, it will have to make the most of Sunday’s game as inclement weather and time restraints have kept the Minutemen off the practice field.
Steve Levine can be reached at [email protected].
