It appears as if the Massachusetts men’s soccer team has enjoyed the friendly confines of Rudd Field so far this season.
Through three games, the Minutemen (2-0-1) have not only gone undefeated, but they’ve already matched last year’s win total at home and are halfway to last season’s overall mark.
“I thought we had a very good preseason,” UMass assistant coach Devin O’Neill said. “We played in scrimmages against some very good opponents in Providence and UConn, very stout competition. I think it taught us some things and prepared us very well for the beginning of the season.”
O’Neill, who is in his first year with the Minutemen, was also impressed by the physical condition the players came into the season with.
The leadership of the upperclassmen on the team has also made a strong impression on O’Neill, especially in the wake of head coach Sam Koch announcing he is battling with a form a cancer, which he has recently been receiving treatment for.
“Coach Koch’s sickness has been very difficult to deal with,” O’Neill said. “But the guys have responded well. The leaders feel a sense of responsibility to step up when Koch can’t be there. They’ve done a nice job and the younger guys are looking up to them.
“There’s a genuine concern and a strong feeling of compassion and affection for coach Koch and I just think they sincerely want to do their best for them,” he said.
Much of UMass’ early success can also be credited to senior goalkeeper Brian Frame, who came into the season with two games of collegiate experience under his belt after spending his first three years backing up Chris Piekos and most recently Shane Curran-Hays.
Frame has proven early on that lack of experience is not an issue. In three starts, he has already pitched a pair of shutouts while allowing just one goal and making 13 saves.
“Brian Frame has been excellent,” O’Neill said. “It’s been very exciting for him. Everyone was uncertain of how he would make the transition from backup to starter, but he’s worked very hard in terms of developing his game and shown he is absolutely up to the task.
“I think as the season goes on and he continues to play like this that he’ll realize that he deserves to be there,” he said.
The offense is already showing signs of improvement as well.
After being shut out 11 times last season, including in each of its first three games, UMass looks to be on track to shatter last year’s nine-goal output and has yet to be given the clean sheet.
Sophomore Josh Schwartz has keyed that turnaround with a pair of goals coming in the Minutemen’s previous two contests, matching his goal total from last season when he was second on the team as a freshman.
“His crossing ability, one-on-one trickiness and his speed has been very effective,” O’Neill said. “He’s been able to get the best of opposing defenders.”
However, UMass is about to lose whatever comfort it may have had early on as it prepares for a four-game road swing, beginning Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. match against Adelphi in Garden City, N.Y.
One would think that the Panthers (0-4) would serve as an easy transition for the Minutemen in their first road match, especially with them being in their last season in Division I before moving to the Northeast 10 Conference in Division II.
However, the UMass coaching staff sees Motamed Field’s synthetic surface as a unique challenge for their squad.
“It’s a difficult place to play,” O’Neill said. “The ball’s going to be bouncing a lot, which will play a factor, and it’s a big space. It’s the very maximum in field dimensions.”
With Adelphi’s speed and the wide spacing of the field, the pressure will be on the defense to control that space and keep the Panther attackers from finding openings.
Regardless of the conditions, the effects of Adelphi’s decision to join the rest of its school in Division II have made themselves apparent through its performance on the pitch through its first four contests.
The Panthers have been outscored nine to three thus far with two of those losses coming against teams that currently have records below .500.
These struggles have especially come in net, where sophomore Ahmad Salamah has been exposed greatly in his first year as a starter, allowing nine goals in four starts and holding a 2.25 goal-against average and a .735 save percentage.
But after coming away with a 1-1 draw against Harvard in their most recent outing, which O’Neill considered the team’s worst performance of the season so far, the Minutemen are looking forward to the opportunity to put in a better effort.
“What we learned from the Harvard game is that we need to make improvements,” O’Neill said. “The guys are hungry to come out and have a good performance. We had a good week of practice so I believe they’ll be ready to play.”
Nick Canelas can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Canelas.
