The No. 20 Massachusetts men’s soccer team’s magical run at the NCAA tournament came to an end on Saturday in a loss to No. 3 Denver in the quarterfinals. UMass (13-4-5, 5-2-1 Atlantic 10) fell 3-0 to Denver (15-3-4, 7-1 Summit) on the road and was eliminated on a sunny day at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium in Colorado.
The Pioneers held control of the game from nearly start to finish. The Minutemen had early control in the first five minutes, but from then on Denver dominated the match. Due to a strong first half from the Pioneers, the Minutemen went into the half down 2-0. Denver’s goal in the 50th minute extinguished any hopes of a comeback in the match.
The Pioneers proved why they were ranked as the No. 3 in the NCAA tournament, pouring it on the Minutemen and putting three goals into the back of Alex Geczy’s net. Coming in, the UMass defense was stout and had only given up one goal through three games in the national tournament. On Saturday, the Minutemen conceded three goals for the first time since Oct. 12 against Davidson and only the third time this season.
With the Pioneers up 2-0 going into the second half, UMass needed a goal to try and get back into the game. In the 48th minute, Alec Hughes was tripped up near the top of the box and a free kick was whistled, giving Hughes an opportunity to get the game back within one. Hughes blasted it sky-high, way above the goal. For Hughes, it was his only shot of the game and the last shot he would take as a Minuteman.
Shortly after Hughes’ missed chance, Denver’s Dylan Akau quickly sped up toward the right side of the net before passing the ball towards the left post for a wide-open Oje Ofunrein, who easily put in the Pioneers’ third goal of the match.
UMass’ scoring chances were few and far between in the match, only attempting six shots and putting three on goal. Denver, on the other hand, had double the scoring chances, attempting 12 shots with seven on goal. It consistently created chances and possessed the ball all afternoon.
The scoring for the Pioneers started early with a goal in the eighth minute. Sam Bassett, Denver’s leading assist man, lined up for the corner kick and proceeded to send the ball perfectly towards the right post where it was headed in by Jason Belloli. Bassett, renowned as one of the best players in the country, placed the ball where only Belloli could head it home and left Geczy with no opportunity to make the save. Bassett is the brother of MLS star Cole Bassett of the Colorado Rapids.
The Minutemen hoped to escape the first half only down by one, but the goal right before the break made it a commanding 2-0 advantage instead. Ian Smith passed the ball towards Rowan Wynne, who was waiting at the front of the goal to head the ball off the ground and into the back of the net near the right post.
Denver will now advance to the national semifinal and the College Cup in Cary, North Carolina. The Minutemen had one of their best seasons in program history come to an end on Saturday and will now look ahead to next season.
Marco Lopez can be reached at [email protected].
