Brad Moccio scored a late second-half goal as the Massachusetts men’s soccer team tied against Omaha 1-1 on Saturday.
With eight minutes to go in the match, Matt Cence lined up to deliver a crucial corner kick. The senior midfielder sent a cross to the middle of the box, just escaping the reach of Mavericks (2-6-3, 1-1-1 Summit League) defenders. Moccio tracked the ball and steered a glancing header past Omaha goalie Kamy Ndione to salvage a draw. The tally was the graduate student defender’s first goal of the season.
The Mavericks scored the opening goal in just the second minute. Junior Italo Jenkins got a pass deep in the left side of the box from Yoshiki Igarashi. This is the earliest goal that Omaha has scored all season. Jenkins scored his third goal of the season.
Igarashi leads the conference in assists after today with six, past Delaware’s Freddy Jeffreys. This season, he had a five-game span where he earned an assist for the Mavericks.
The Minutemen’s (5-3-5, 1-1-1 Summit) tempo was completely different in the second half. UMass had more corner kick opportunities and shots on goal than Omaha. The Minutemen led the Mavericks in shots 8-5 and corner kicks 7-2 in the half.
In the final minute, UMass’ Magnús Ingi Halldórsson took a yellow card to stop an offensive rush. Halldórsson’s card prevented a potential breakaway opportunity for Omaha’s offense. Theo Klein lined up to take a free kick just outside the box. Klein, who has two game-winning goals already this season, sailed his attempt high over the net, ending the possession.
In the opening 15 minutes, the Mavericks had complete control of the game. While the Minutemen had just one shot on goal, Omaha scored a goal off four shots on goal and three corner kicks. For the rest of the first half, UMass limited the Mavericks to one shot on goal.
Minutemen goalie Alex Geczy had four saves after giving up the early goal, making major defensive stops for UMass.
The Minutemen had a nearly two-minute possession with four corner kicks but failed to execute. Corner kicks have been a major highlight for UMass, providing high-quality scoring opportunities that the Minutemen have capitalized on throughout the season.
UMass and Omaha are now tied for second in the Summit League. Every team besides Oral Roberts entered the week tied in first with three conference points.
The Minutemen lead the Summit League in fouls called against them, with 153 this season. The Mavericks lead the league in yellow cards called against them with 25, while UMass has just 14. The Minutemen also have one red card against, while Omaha has zero.
UMass’ John Paul Mbuthia was inactive during the match after getting a red card in its last game against Denver. He played only 37 minutes in that game after getting the card in the 69th minute. The loss of Mbuthia for the Minutemen was noticeable, as his speed and production on offense have been crucial all season. The graduate student forward has four goals on the season, tied for second on the team.
UMass will return to Rudd Field next weekend, continuing its conference play against Oral Roberts. The game on Saturday, Oct. 18 is set to begin at 12 p.m. and can be watched on the Summit League Network.
Jonathan Murgida can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @jonathanmurgida.
