It’s no secret the Massachusetts men’s soccer team has struggled to put the ball in the net.

With only six goals scored in nine games, the Minutemen (1-8, 0-1 A-10) are tied for last within the Atlantic 10 Conference in goals per game. They’ve been shut out five times, and only three different players have scored for UMass this season.

But despite poor numbers and performance thus far, the Minutemen have showed signs of life on offense at times during the season. For small stretches, UMass controls possession, passes crisply and initiates movement without the ball. At other times, though, the Minutemen can barely string two passes together out of their own zone.

“It’s a work in progress,” UMass coach Devin O’Neill said. “We’re obviously not scoring goals at the extent we need to, and that’s a concern.”

With A-10 play already started – and seven conference games coming up within the next month – time is running out for the finished product to show itself. The Minutemen will get one final non-conference tune up Wednesday against Hartford, but after that will be thrust into a stretch of five games in a row against A-10 opponents, with three of those coming on the road.

Conference play can be a fresh start for UMass. They’re the only games that count towards A-10 standings and end of the year seeding in the A-10 tournament.

The Minutemen have received solid contributions from several players on the offensive end. Senior forward Josh Schwartz leads the team with three goals scored, and fellow forward Mark Morris is right behind him with two. Midfielder Luke Pavone and defender Matt Keys have also pitched in – Pavone with three assists and Keys with a goal of his own. Unfortunately, those are the only players on the team that have recorded points. And while players like Schwartz were expected to carry most of the offensive burden, it’s hard for any one player to completely carry an attack.

Schwartz has had – for him – what amounts to a subpar year thus far. He’s scored only three goals, with two of them coming off penalty kicks. The unquestioned leader of the attack, Schwartz needs more opportunities. He’s proven throughout his career in Amherst that he can finish chances, and if the offense does manage to improve, his goal tally should as well.

“We need to get him in the right spaces on the field and get him the ball,” O’Neill said of Schwartz.

Another key contributor is the junior Morris. Hard work and effort have fueled his scoring opportunities thus far, and Morris showed he will shoot the ball from any distance. With one or two breaks, he could easily lead the team in goal scoring.

Finally, Keys is perhaps the most underrated part of the attack. His impact is evident on defense, but he can be just as effective offensively. He’s been pulled up front and played at forward several times late in games this season, and has played well in those situations, scoring one goal and creating multiple chances. He also creates offense from the back and is quick to push the ball up the field after forcing turnovers. However, O’Neill has said he probably would not consider moving Keys up to forward in a more permanent role, opting to keep the shutdown defender back on defense.

All of those players, along with other offensive contributors, have shown they can succeed when put in the right positions, but therein lies the problem for the Minutemen – they simply aren’t generating enough high-quality chances. It’s something that O’Neill thinks the team has improved on, but hasn’t been able to do consistently thus far.

“We were struggling getting the ball into the attacking third,” O’Neill said. “But that’s improved a little bit. Still, we’re not creating enough quality scoring chances.”

There is no easy fix for UMass, no magic lineup or formation that will result in balls appearing in the back of the net. Rather, offensive improvement must come as a team. It starts in the midfield, where UMass has struggled to align itself into attacking formations. “Our mid play has gotten better,” O’Neill said.

“We’ve just missed putting together that final pass.”

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