There are few things worse for East Coast sports teams than the West Coast road trip. For players, it means long stretches away from their homes and families. For coaches, it often means tired players, sloppy performances and ultimately a losing trip.

The Massachusetts men’s soccer team can tell you as much. On its four-game swing— which included one game in Utah and three in California– the Minutemen lost four times and were outscored 12-2.

“It was a long trip,” senior forward Josh Schwartz said. “We were gone for about 10 days. At some point, you start to think, ‘Wow, we’ve been on the road for a while.’”

There’s light at the end of the tunnel, though. After a red-eye flight back to the Bay State, UMass finally arrived home Monday morning at 9 a.m. Even better news, UMass will play its next eight games within the borders of New England, with six of those coming at home in the friendly confines of Rudd Field.

The Minutemen look forward to settling into their home schedule, and for good reason. In their last three seasons, UMass has won nine games at home, compared to just two wins on the road. Looking even further back, the Minutemen boast a record of 79-39-18 (.647 winning percentage) at Rudd Field in the last 13 seasons.

“We know the field better than anyone,” said senior Matt Keys. “It’s a huge advantage.”

Home games mean no long bus trips, long flights home or stress from missing days of school. As Keys said, “You’re not living out of a bag in a hotel.” On the field, it usually means playing a team that’s a little more familiar.

“It’s definitely comforting to be home,” Schwartz said. “Most of these teams coming up we’ve played before… and know a little bit more about.”

These teams coming up include non-conference opponents Fairfield, New Hampshire, and Harvard, all of whom UMass played last season. The Minutemen lost all three contests, but the games against the Wildcats and the Crimson were close, with both losses coming by only one goal apiece.

It’s a crucial stretch of games, as UMass has started slow but hopes to avoid a repeat of last year, when it started the season 0-8-1 before earning its first win. The Minutemen rallied to earn a berth in the Atlantic 10 tournament and Keys believes that experience will help this year’s team.

“Because of that, you know, even though we started the season 0-4, we know we can still do this,” he said.

This season, UMass has a chance to avoid that kind of hole all together. Rounding out the stretch of home games are three games against familiar A-10 foes Saint Joseph’s, Virginia Commonwealth and Dayton.

“It’s imperative we get off to a good start in the A-10 this year,” Keys said. “We want to put the beginning of the season behind us and play our game.”

The West Coast road trip is over. The 2014 season is well underway. Now, it’s time for the Minutemen to prey on the weary travelers arriving at Rudd Field.

Ross Gienieczko can be reached at [email protected] and followed on twitter @RossGien.