In the final matchup as conference rivals, the Massachusetts men’s soccer team came back to defeat Rhode Island 2-1 on the road.
Midway through the second half, after struggling to create quality chances all night, the Minutemen (8-3-4, 3-2-1 Atlantic 10) got their first free kick opportunity of the game. Alec Hughes lofted the ball into the middle of the pack, where Matt Cence won the battle and headed the ball to the far post. The ball fell right for a trailing Aidan Kelly, who tapped it past the diving goalkeeper and into the back of the net to snatch the lead late.
Despite the gritty win, UMass struggled to garner scoring chances and was outshot by the Rams (7-4-3, 2-4 A-10) 20-8. The Minutemen did make the most of their opportunities, as six of their eight shots were on target. Set pieces were also an area of concern, as they conceded 12 corner kicks, with four coming in a two-minute span. The Minutemen only accumulated two for themselves the entire game.
As the first half was ending, UMass sprung a counterattack through Mike Willis. He lobbed a deep ball from midfield to the left side of the attacking half, finding Oliver Akintade in stride. On the opposite wing, Hughes found himself unmarked and ready for a cross. Akintade muscled off his defender and drove the ball to the open Hughes, who powered the ball home at the near post to open the score for the Minutemen.
The goal marked the 11th of the season for Hughes. He also became the second player in program history to reach 100 career points with the tally. Hughes is now just two goals away from tying Jeff Deren’s all-time scoring record at UMass, with 46 career goals.
Alex Geczy was another bright spot for UMass as he amassed seven saves in net. Geczy kept the Minutemen in the game while making diving stops left and right.
Early in the first half, Rhode Island quickly regained possession in the attacking half following a misplaced UMass clearance. URI’s Brandon Bermingham received the ball at the top of the box and made a move on a defender to create some space for himself. Once he found a lane to shoot, Bermingham ripped the ball at goal, only to be denied by Geczy’s gloves. Rams’ midfielder Keegan Walker was lurking and finished off the rebound opportunity to give Rhode Island the early 1-0 lead.
Head coach Fran O’Leary used his bench sparingly, substituting just four players into the match. Joey Bianco played 50 minutes off the bench, his second-highest total of the campaign. Layton Purchase, who has become a fixture as a starter in the center of midfield, made just a 35-minute cameo in the match. A pair of fullbacks in Chris Giglio and Brad Moccio played a combined 13 minutes to round out the list of utilized subs.
With the win on Saturday, the Minutemen jumped to fifth place in the A-10 standings, putting them in prime position to make the conference tournament for a third consecutive season.
UMass turns its attention to the conference leader in Duquesne for the final home game of the season. The Minutemen will be honoring their five seniors for Senior Day on Oct. 26. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
Benito Marinero-Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected] and can be followed on X @bmrodriguez12.
