BOSTON, Mass. – A back and forth battle between UMass Boston Men's Soccer and Eastern Nazarene College results in a scoreless draw at UMB Soccer Field on a chilly Saturday afternoon on the harbor campus.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 0, Eastern Nazarene College 0

UMass Boston (6-2-2)

Eastern Nazarene College (1-4-4)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
There were opportunities aplenty for both sides and for much of the first half it was the Beacons controlling the pace of play on their home field. The first shot on goal for either team would not come until the 17^th minute when freshman midfielder Luan Cruz fired at the six-foot, six-inch sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Batz. Freshman Ryan Lima also looked to get UMass Boston on the scoreboard with a trio of shots towards the middle of the half over the course of a minute but was denied by Batz.
 
Freshman forward Mattia Zuin recorded the first shot on goal for Eastern Nazarene in the 26^th minute which would be one of only two shots that junior goalkeeper Qasim El-Ashkar would face in the opening 45 minutes as both teams remained scoreless going into the halftime break.
 
Heading into the half, the Beacons held a 9-5 advantage in shots, 6-2 edge in shots on goal, and 3-0 lead in corner kicks.
 
Out of the break, the Lion turned up the tempo on UMass Boston, as Zuin and senior forward Ostine Sheelens fired on El-Ashkar in the early going. Eastern Nazarene would undergo a stretch of five corner kicks over the course of three minutes, maintaining possession in their offensive zone but never able to break through the stout Beacon defense.
 
In the 67^th minute, the Lions nearly took the lead on senior midfielder Joaquin Ferraro's shot from the center of the offensive zone. Ferraro's shot nearly squeezed in under the crossbar, but a leaping El-Ashkar helped push it out of harms way in keep the score knotted at zero.
 
As both teams looked to exchange the deciding blow in the match, the best chance for UMass Boston would come in the 88^th minute when junior forward Josh DeAlmeida found some space after getting a pass from sophomore midfielder Annilson DePina in the right side of the box. A tremendous sliding tackle from junior defender Samuel Rosas prevented DeAlmeida from getting an open look at Batz in goal as the match eventually ended in a draw.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• The Beacons have now recorded a point in six consecutive games, going 5-0-1 in their last six matches
• Six total yellow cards were issued between both teams with each receiving three a piece
• This was only the second meeting between UMass Boston and Eastern Nazarene since 2011, the Beacons are now 21-6-3 all-time versus the Lions
• This is the first scoreless tie between the two teams in 30 matches

WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston will head on to the road for three games in eight days starting next Tuesday night at 7:00 PM against Wentworth Institute of Technology. The Beacons are 7-0 all-time against the Leopards with the last win coming during the 2019 season at home, 2-0.