BOSTON, MA (November 4, 2023) – The UMASS Boston men's soccer team fell just short of the 2023 Little East Conference Championship against Western Connecticut State University from Monan Park in Boston. Last year the Beacons bested Western Connecticut in a penalty shootout for the 2022 LEC title. This year, the Wolves sunk their teeth in a bite of revenge against the Beacons as they took an early 1-0 lead and held on for the remainder of the game.  

The Wolves and the Beacons were evenly matched and lived up to the hype surrounding the game's aura. The Beacons finished the game with 16 total shots, shooting 50% of their shots on target (8), against the Wolves, who recorded 13 shots with five on target. Western Connecticut keeper Zach Benson was a wall for the Wolves, stopping eight shots through 90 minutes. Benson was a main factor in the Wolves win, as the Beacons peppered Benson all game, but to no avail. The Beacons produced five corner kick opportunities compared to the Wolve's six corners.

The Wolves scored early in the first half, just under ten minutes before kickoff. With possession on the wing and carrying forward Western Connecticut junior midfielder Daniel Russo sent in a lobbed cross that was just out of reach of the leaping Beacon's back line, as the cross snuck behind them to find Kadin Talho whose header was sent into the top right for the only goal of today's contest.

The Beacons spent the remainder of the game fighting back with long shots, physicality in the defense, and triangle possession. All the Beacon's tactics couldn't find a way to break the Wolve's concentration as they fell short to a revenge-driven Western Connecticut State.

The Beacons finish off this season with an impressive 13-5-2 record, finishing 6-1-1 overall in the LEC, and regular season champions.
Sophomore midfielder Gabriel Meireles finished the season first in team points with an LEC-leading 15 goals and an LEC-leading nine assists, good for an LEC-leading 39 season points. He is followed by sophomore midfielder Ryan Lima, as he tallied 13 goals and four assists through 20 games played, good for 30 points this season and second on the team. And with seven goals and five assists was freshman John Arruda, good for third on the team with 19 points.