BOSTON, Mass. - UMass Boston Men's Soccer followed a familiar script on Saturday afternoon. After falling behind Western Connecticut State early, the Beacons got an early equalizer from
Ryan Lima and a late winner from
Gabriel Meireles to pull out the 2-1 victory.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 2, Western Connecticut State 1
UMass Boston (10-3-2, 4-1-1 LEC)
Western Connecticut State (11-3-2, 4-1-1 LEC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
WestConn wasted no time taking a lead in Saturday's match, getting the game's opening score from Maximus Vigo just over five minutes after the starting whistle.
Searching for a goal to pull them back to even, the Beacons turned to the sophomore Lima who put a pass from
Marron Acheampong into the back of the net in the 28th minute. Lima's 10th goal of the year tied the game and brought him into a tie with Meireles for the team lead in goals.
Not to be outdone, Meireles took the field in the second half intent on reclaiming his lead. Over 35 minutes of 1-1 play finally gave way in the 65th when he netted an unassisted goal, giving the Beacons their first lead of the afternoon.
After letting up a WestConn score in the opening minutes, the UMass Boston defense locked in. Goalie
Qasim El-Ashkar saved the only other shot he saw on the afternoon, protecting the narrow lead and securing the victory for the Beacons.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Along with ranking first and second on the team in goals, Meireles (11) and Lima (10) rank first and third, respectively, in the Little East Conference
- Meireles (27) and Lima (24) also rank first and third in the conference in points
- The Beacons outshot the Wolves 14-8 including an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal
- Acheampong's assist was the first point of his career
- El-Ashkar's efforts lowered the team's goals against average to 1.47 on the season
- Saturday marked the ninth time this season that both Meireles and Lima scored a goal
- The team is 8-0-1 in those games
- The Beacons' second straight victory over WestConn improved their record in the all-time series to 13-17-6
WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will take a week off before traveling to Vermont State University Castleton to take on the Spartans in an LEC showdown.