Box Score
BOSTON, Mass. – With a goal by Cooper D'Ambrosio with 43 seconds left in regulation the regionally-ranked Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University handed 23rd ranked men's soccer a 2-1 Little East Conference loss Saturday afternoon at James Cotter Field.
THE BASICS
No. 23 UMass Boston 1, Eastern Connecticut State University 2
UMass Boston (10-2-0, 3-1-0 Little East Conference)
Eastern Connecticut State University (10-2-1, 3-0-1 Little East Conference)
HOW IT HAPPENED
With less than a minute to play in regulation and the score tied at 1-1, Eastern Connecticut was awarded a free kick from about 10 yards outside the Beacons goal box. Adam Traxer chipped the ball into the box where Beacons and Warriors players battled for control. After bouncing off of the head of two different players, the ball landed on the foot of D'Ambrosio. The senior captain then tapped the ball into the far post netting to give the Warriors the 2-1 lead and the win.
UMass Boston who controlled play for all 45 minutes of the first half, and a majority of the second half, were held to the lone score. Mohamed Kenawy (Revere, Mass.) ended the scoreless draw in the 46th minute after Calvin Smick (Wilmington, Del.) laid a perfectly crossed ball to the far post, which found a wide open Kenawy.
With the lead in their favor the Beacons offense continued to pressure the Warriors defense, but in the 60th minute the Warriors evened the score at 1-1 with a goal by Tyler Jones. Xavier Doran crossed the ball, which then hit the top of the crossbar. From there the ball would take a favorable bounce, and would find the head of Jones who tapped it in for his team leading sixth goal of the season.
With the physicality increasing on a minute by minute basis, UMass was given a chance to retake the lead when they were handed a penalty kick in the 81st minute. After drawing the foul, junior Edmilson Barros (Praia, Cape Verde) stepped up to take the huge opportunity. Unfortunately, Barros was stopped by Ryan Murphy to keep the score even at one a piece.
The Murphy save would give the Warriors all the momentum they needed as they picked-up their play in the closing minutes of the second half. Senior goalkeeper Alfonso Rosales (Revere, Mass.) kept the Warriors off the board, until the D'Ambrosio game-winner with 43 seconds left to play.
On the night UMass Boston outshot the Warriors 18-11, but it was ECSU who led the contest 11-9 in shots on goal. Rosales made seven stops in the conference loss, while Murphy posted 10 to earn his 10th win of the year.
BY THE NUMBERS
- With Saturday's win, the Warriors are now 22-6 all-time against the Beacons. The two teams have tied once since first meeting in 1987
- UMass Boston has not earned a home victory over ECSU since the 1999 season, but did tie the Warriors in 2013 in the first season with head coach Jake Beverlin
- Saturday's match marked the first time that both UMass Boston and Eastern Connecticut State were ranked on the NSCAA Regional Poll with the Beacons sitting third and the Warriors fourth
- UMass Boston entered the match ranked 23rd in the country, which was the first national ranking in the program's history
WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will travel to Western New England University on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. non-conference match.
