BOSTON, Mass. – The Beacons bid for an unbeaten conference record came to an end Saturday afternoon as the visiting Anchormen of Rhode Island College handed UMass a 1-0 loss in a rain soaked Little East Conference match at Clark Athletic Center Field.

Despite the loss, the Beacons ended the 2014 regular season with the best conference record in program history (5-1-1).  UMass will host the Anchormen on Wednesday in the semi-final round of the 2014 Little East Conference Tournament with a start time still to be announced. 

Wednesday's match will mark the first conference tournament appearance for the Beacons since 2006.

Prior to the start of the match the Beacons honored their four senior members is Douglas Silveira (Revere, Mass.), Rolando Barbosa (Fogo, Cape Verde), Marcus Pizzetti (Malden, Mass.), and Lenir Lima (Mindelo, Cape Verde).

The lone goal of the afternoon came in the fifth minute when Komla Dogbey crossed the ball into the box, where Sean Grant hit a one-timer past Beacons goalkeeper Alfonso Rosales (Revere, Mass.). 

Moments after that goal, the sky completely opened up and the wind began to pound the field, making the conditions nearly unplayable for the remainder of the contest.  UMass had perhaps their best chance of the day, when Pizzetti fired a shot that beat Anchormen goalkeeper Adam Ghazal, but unfortunately hit the post square. 

The two teams would try to battle through the elements, but it was clear that the game was not going to produce too many more opportunities for either team.

Rosales made just three saves on the afternoon, while Ghazal, who improved to 10-5-1 made just two stops in the shutout victory.  In total the Beacons recorded six shots, two on goal, while RIC finished with 10 total shots, four of which were on target.

The Anchormen also led the contest in corner kicks as they held a 6-1 advantage. 

Overall the Beacons closed out the 2014 regular season with a 12-5-2 record, making it the most successful season since 1999 when they went 12-8.  RIC ended their regular season with a 12-5-1 record and were 4-2-1 in Little East play.  The Anchormen will be the fourth-seed in this year's postseason tournament.

In the other semi-final match, second-seed Eastern Connecticut State University will host third-seed Keene State College.