While a tie last Saturday against Virginia Commonwealth left the Massachusetts men’s soccer team still searching for its first win since Sept. 19, senior captain Matt Keys said the Minutemen are heading into Friday’s game against Dayton with a heightened sense of confidence.
“I think just from a mindset standpoint, it was a huge confidence boost for us,” Keys said. “Being able to steal some points from them, with VCU being the favorite in the game, was just great for our team.”
UMass (1-9-1, 0-1-1 Atlantic 10) struggled out of the gate in nonconference play this season, opening its year on a five-game losing streak before its only victory to date over Fairfield on Sept. 19.
However, with six of the Minutemen’s last seven games of the regular season coming in A-10 play, Keys said that Saturday’s double overtime tie was a positive sign moving forward in their pursuit towards a spot in the conference playoffs.
“It makes us feel better that we are progressing. Compared to last year, that’s a huge thing to take away,” Keys said, referencing last season’s 4-0 loss to the Rams. “We know that we can compete with the best teams in the league.”
According to UMass interim coach Devin O’Neill, the team’s performance against VCU was not very different compared to what the Minutemen were able to do in its previous four games, in which UMass finished 0-4. O’Neill said that the only change was that the team “finally got something out of (the game).”
One positive aspect that O’Neill said he saw was a quicker offense that displayed sharp passing.
“It was more of a complete performance over 110 minutes, which was good to see,” O’Neill said. “I wouldn’t describe us right now as a prolific team, but we’re working towards that.”
Keys said that increased passing accuracy allowed the Minutemen to have consistent scoring opportunities, especially on crossing plays. Keys scored the only goal of the game on Saturday for UMass off of a crossing pass from Brandon Vazquez.
According to Keys, continuing to show crisp passing in or near the opponent’s goal box will be crucial heading into the game against the Flyers (5-3-3, 1-0-1 A-10).
“We’ve been trying to get a lot more guys in the box whether it be on set pieces or just on running plays like crosses,” Keys said. “The more chances we’re making, the more runners we’re getting in the box, the better opportunities we will have to score.”
Sophomore midfielder Luke Pavone added that ball possession will be important in the matchup against Dayton, as the team’s offense will look to produce additional scoring opportunities.
“I think against Dayton we won’t have to buckle down on defense as much and we’ll be able to go after them a little more,” Pavone said. “We want to get the ball and move it up the field quick to catch their defense off guard.”
O’Neill acknowledged that this task will be difficult, coming against the Flyers, who are currently situated in third place in the A-10 and boast the third best goals against average (0.79) in the conference.
“We expect them to be physically very tough,” O’Neill said. “They’re a big team physically, so restarts are always a concern.”
Saturday’s matchup against VCU marked the start of a crucial five-game string of conference games for the Minutemen.
After facing third place Dayton at home on Friday, UMass will embark on a 4 a.m. flight to Saint Louis to face the Billikens (8-3-1, 1-1-1 A-10) on Sunday. The Minutemen will then travel to Rhode Island and Fordham the following weekend to play the first and second place A-10 teams, respectively.
“That’ll be a tough travel schedule, but I think we can handle whatever is thrown our way at this point,” Pavone said. “We’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
Anthony Chiusano can be reached at [email protected], and can be followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.
