The Massachusetts soccer team was mere seconds away from dropping its third straight one-goal road match of the season.
But that was when the heroics kicked in.
The Minutemen (2-2-2) managed a very crucial point at New Hampshire’s Bremner Field Saturday night thanks, in part, to Brett Canepa’s goal with two seconds remaining in regulation to give UMass its first point on the road this season with a 1-1 draw.
With time running down in the game, UMass sent a flurry of balls at the New Hampshire net and finally managed to break through right before time expired.
With 10 seconds left, UMass defender Hellah Sidibe fired a ball into the box, but it was deflected away by Worra. The punched ball fell to the feet of Canepa who found space at the edge of the 18-yard box and beat Worra with four seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
The goal was Canepa’s first tally of the season.
UMass coach Sam Koch knew the game and the environment was going to be tough for his team.
“It’s a tough place to play,” Koch said in an interview with UMass Athletics. “When we come up here we know we’re in for a battle and I thought our kids did a great job.”
The Minutemen fell behind in the first half when New Hampshire (3-2-2) senior forward Jordan Thomas beat senior goalkeeper Brian Frame on a penalty shot in the 39th minute. The half ended with the score in favor of the home side, 1-0.
UMass came out hungry in the second half but struggled to find the back of the net. The Minutemen were frustrated all night by the strong play of Wildcat goalkeeper Travis Worra, including Canepa, who saw one of his team-high six shots blocked away by a diving Worra midway through the second half.
After narrowly escaping defeat in regulation, the Minutemen continued to press on in overtime, and it was Canepa again who almost gave the Minutemen their third win of the season.
Canepa managed to find himself in perfect position for a header, but once again it was Worra who stood up to the task and knocked the shot away. Neither side was able to find the back of the net in extra time and the game ended in a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of play.
“We had good opportunities and their goalkeeper made two great saves that prevented us from winning the game,” Koch said. “We had chances on the back post that we couldn’t finish, but they had some great chances as well, so the game could have gone either way.
The rivalry between the Minutemen and the Wildcats always produces very close matches. UMass held a slight edge in shots at 10-9, but did manage to put eight of its 10 on target, while the Wildcats managed only four on target. Worra stopped seven of the eight shots he faced and Frame stopped three of four from the Wildcats.
With the draw, New Hampshire still holds an 8-5-2 edge over UMass in the last 15 matches, with this being the 11th game decided by one goal or less.
But UMass was finally able to get a good result on the road after two disappointing losses.
“I’m pleased with the result on the road,” Koch said. “We needed a good result and we got it.”
The Minutemen are now 0-2-1 on their current four-game road trip, with their fourth and final stop at Siena. The Saints are 2-4 on the season, but are in the midst of a three-match losing streak, with all of their losses coming by one goal in overtime.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
Patrick Strohecker can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at MDC_Strohecker.
