It’s been a tough-luck kind of season for the Massachusetts soccer team up to this point.
The Minutemen record of 1-2-2 can be attributed to allowing their opponents more shots and scoring opportunities, as well as bad bounces and general misfortune.
In UMass’ last game, a 2-1 loss against No. 24 Indiana, three shots could’ve found the net had it not been for posts and a last-second effort from a Hoosier defender to kick a ball off of the goal line.
“You have to talk to the grounds crew, they got the goals in the wrong spots,” UMass coach Sam Koch said following the loss. “If you move the goals over a hair we’d have more goals.”
The Minutemen have six goals in five games compared to their opponents’ seven. Although not a startling difference, UMass has given its opponents many more opportunities to score with 65 shots (31 on goal) compared to its own 50 shots (22 on goal).
Last year’s Minutemen followed a similar trend and their season ended without a berth into the Atlantic 10 tournament.
“We just have to make sure we create more chances and eventually some [more shots] will go in,” Koch said.
Anchored with a strong defense, it’s evident that once again the Minutemen’s success will largely depend on its offensive capability of converting on scoring chances. Last year, UMass was 6-0-2 when scoring at least one goal. In each of the six losses and one draw, UMass failed to score.
On Sept. 6, the Minutemen fell to then-ranked No. 10 Harvard, 3-2, at Rudd Field. Koch was quick to emphasize the importance of fundamentals following the contest.
“Our ball movement has to be quicker, we get caught with the ball at our feet [too much],” Koch said. “We didn’t switch the field as well as we could. We have to keep attacking the flanks. We have to believe in the things we know are successful and keep doing that. If we keep doing that, we’re going to win a lot of games.”
Koch is happier so far this year with his team’s scoring opportunities, although he knows there is room to improve. What he can’t help are bad bounces, which the Minutemen seem to be getting plenty of, whether it be balls hitting posts, unlucky deflections or even creeping along the goal line.
Luckily for the Minutemen, they have plenty of time remaining on their eight-game homestand to reverse the recent misfortune. UMass is historically successful at “Fort Rudd” with a 45-24-7 record since the facility opened in 2002.
Perhaps the biggest reason to expect more goals from UMass is the offensive surge the freshmen class has provided. In the Minutemen’s last two games, they have received three goals from freshmen Brett Canepa, Tyler Cleverdon and most recently, Hellah Sidibe. Contributions from freshmen will be key throughout the remainder of the season as UMass looks to add depth to its attack.
Steve Levine can be reached at [email protected].
