It was only a month and a half ago that the Massachusetts men’s soccer season seemed lost.
UMass was stuck in the downward spiral of an eight-game losing streak, with little reason for optimism as Atlantic 10 conference play neared. Then, in the final game of non-conference play, the Minutemen (4-13-1, 3-5 A-10) erupted for five goals against Siena, earning their first win of the season and creating a renewed energy as conference play began.
“(Beating Siena) certainly didn’t hurt,” UMass coach Sam Koch said. “You study hard for the final exam and the more work you put in, the better grade you hope you’re going to get. Our grades weren’t coming out with the amount of work that we were putting in, so it was something that was much needed.”
That win is part of a 4-5 stretch to close out the season for the Minutemen, including going 3-5 in conference play. A rejuvenated UMass squad bought into Koch’s mindset of putting the rough non-conference schedule behind it and instead focusing on getting better each week.
“We tried to look at, you know, each week we’re trying to get better,” Koch said. “With the idea that you’re continuing to work on certain areas of the game, individual play, as well as team play, to get better each week.”
Heading into the final weekend of the season, the Minutemen sat in sixth place in the A-10, almost a guaranteed lock to make the conference tournament. But after dropping their final two games, they backed their way into the tournament as the eighth and final seed.
Now, UMass will take on top-seeded Saint Louis, which defeated the Minutemen 2-1 on Sunday in the final game of the regular season. While the matchup doesn’t seem all that favorable for an inconsistent UMass squad, the familiarity of just playing the Billikens (12-4-2, 6-0-2 A-10) is something that it can use in preparation for Thursday’s game.
“Obviously we know them a lot better now, than when we first stepped on the field with them,” Koch said. “I definitely feel that we can play with them and create opportunities to beat them. There are a couple of things that we have to do a little bit better and if we do that, then I like our chances.”
SLU finished the season averaging 2.22 goals per game, tied for first in the A-10 with Dayton. They are the only two teams in the conference to average more than two goals a game.
While the Billikens have one of the most explosive offenses in the conference, they also possess one of the stingiest defenses in the A-10. In 18 games this season, SLU only allowed 17 goals for a goals against average of 0.94. Only George Mason and Dayton allowed fewer goals per game during the season.
While there were certainly parts of last weekend’s matchup that Koch would like for his squad to clean up, he didn’t pinpoint one specific area, other than capitalizing on opportunities.
“We made some mistakes that they certainly capitalized on and there were a couple of opportunities that we missed that we need to make sure we put away the second time we play them,” he said.
The odds might be long for the Minutemen to make it all the way to the championship game, but they are just excited to be back in the postseason for the first time since 2008.
“Obviously (I’m) very, very happy for the guys,” Koch said. “The guys continued to work hard when, over the first eight games, we weren’t getting a lot of results. … These guys were able to do it, so I’m pleased for them.”
Patrick Strohecker can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @P_Strohecker.
