The Massachusetts men’s soccer team defeated Brown 1-0 to complete a perfect week at Rudd Field.
UMass (3-1-2) found its lone goal through an Alec Hughes free kick in the 65th minute. Hughes meticulously set the ball down around 30 yards away, slightly left from center. He opted for a low strike that curled around the wall and nestled into the bottom left corner to take the lead.
“It was a game between two good teams,” head coach Fran O’Leary said. “[When] two good teams play and play well, it can be a set play or a set piece and it was a terrific free kick by Alec.”
The Minutemen pushed the tempo and looked to create chances throughout the match, but Brown (1-2-1) seemed content to slow the game down and keep possession instead. The clash between two immensely different gameplans made for a mundane first half.
Two dangerous UMass chances were generated in the opening 45 minutes, just before the first half hydration break. Mike Willis played a well-weighted through ball to Shane Velez, who had his toe poke attempt saved by Bears goalkeeper Henrik Weiper. Moments later, Matt Cence sent a humming drive towards the top right corner but Weiper met the ball with a powerful dive. The half remained quiet otherwise.
“I think in the first half, because Brown sat off us a little, we had an opportunity to pass the ball,” O’Leary said. “But we passed it slowly, our passing lacked tempo, we needed to increase the ball speed and the urgency in which to get forward.”
Prior to his goal, Hughes tried nearly everything he could to no avail. The speedy forward was caught offside on three separate occasions as he tried to run in behind Brown’s defense. Each time the ball came to his feet, a defender immediately stepped up to deny him any free space. The Minutemen continuously lobbed passes up the pitch, seemingly waiting for a bounce to go their way.
“When we get the ball we’re trying to score every time,” O’Leary said. “Obviously you won’t do that, but we were sort of lethargic in our passing in the first half. I think it was part because they’re a well-coached team, and part because it was a very warm day. But we upped the tempo in the second half.”
UMass posted seven goals against UMass Lowell in their previous match, but scoring at that clip is simply not sustainable. In a match where the Bears offered little real estate in the attacking third, the Minutemen were still able to grind out the win through a moment of magic from their star. Hughes’ career goal total now sits at 42, six shy of Jeff Deren’s UMass record.
Matt Fordham and Aidan Kelly once again played the full 90 minutes as the team’s center back pair. The defensive duo helped earn the Minutemen their third clean sheet of the season. Goalkeeper Alex Geczy also made two saves in the contest, along with several strong aerial claims.
“Huge game by Alex Geczy again to deal with those quality balls coming in from Brown, and he stood up to them,” O’Leary said. “Same with our back four, we’ve got two center backs that take pride in their defending, the whole back four takes pride in their defending. To get a clean sheet against Brown is a good day.”
UMass will head back on the road when it visits Dartmouth on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The Minutemen are looking to win their fourth straight game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected].
