Ivan Vrh rescued an important 1-1 draw for the Massachusetts men’s soccer team in an Atlantic-10 matchup with Dayton. The sophomore defender stepped into his newfound attacking role by scoring his second goal in back-to-back games.
As the clock ticked under three minutes to play, Mike Willis served a great cross into the box, directly from a corner kick. The 6-foot-2-inch center back rose up above everyone else on the pitch and headed the ball downwards. The 88th minute leveler nestled in the back of the net after taking a powerful bounce off the grass, earning UMass (6-2-4, 2-1-1 A-10) a point.
“[Vrh] was up against it, maybe the best team in the conference [Wednesday],” head coach Fran O’Leary said. “Definitely one of the top two or three teams, you could see the quality and caliber of their players. So, he did ever so well to put the ball away, he’s done well for us.”
Vrh once again earned the start at striker for the third straight match. He initially got the nod up top when forward Alec Hughes went down with an injury against Fordham. Hughes made his return to the field in substitute fashion against the Flyers (5-1-3, 1-0-2 A-10), playing 63 minutes off the bench.
The goal was not Vrh’s first scoring chance of the afternoon. In the 65th minute, Hughes won the ball on the left wing and laid it off for Vrh, who had only striped green grass and the goalkeeper in front of him. He opted for a finesse shot, but was unable to place it in the bottom right corner as he intended. Dayton goalkeeper Dario Caetano made a kick save with his left foot, leaving Vrh clearly distraught about the missed opportunity, but he kept a short-term memory and managed to find the pivotal goal later on.
The defender was recruited from Riverside High School in Greer, South Carolina. He was also a member of the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy of the ECNL, one of the premier youth soccer leagues in the United States.
Vrh collected a load of accolades in his home state, including two South Carolina 5A State Championships. He was also named an all-state selection and a three-time all-region pick in high school.
The sophomore will undoubtedly leave his manager with questions regarding the position swap being permanent. He has managed two goals and an assist in his 117 minutes across the last two fixtures.
“It’s another goal for Big Iv, he gives us a physical presence,” O’Leary said. “He’s able to win things and keep things alive, he’s done superbly well.”
The late tally’s significance stems from the fact that the Flyers are the reigning A-10 champions. Dayton is one of the teams to beat in the conference, making the tie a satisfying result for the Minutemen. UMass has now lost just one of its last nine matches. The most recent NCAA Top 25 poll saw the Minutemen earn three votes, five short of being ranked.
“[Dayton’s] pretty effective in the air and on the ground,” O’Leary said. “They’ve got very good players. I’m really proud of our guys today. To come from behind against the conference champions and get a result is really positive.”
UMass will head back on the road for its next match on Saturday, Oct. 12 against Davidson. Kickoff in North Carolina will take place at 7 p.m.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected].
