BOSTON, Mass. - UMass Boston's quest to repeat as Little East Conference champions began at Monan Park on Friday afternoon. The Beacons did not miss a beat in their debut, topping the visiting Seahawks of Salve Regina by a final score of 2-1.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 2, Salve Regina University 1

UMass Boston (1-0-0)
Salve Regina University (0-1-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED
A contentious first half saw no goals for either team but both the Seahawks and the Beacons earned a yellow card from the officials for their physical play.

The first opportunity for UMass Boston to take the lead in the second half came with just under three minutes run off the clock. Gabriel Meireles attempt off of a corner kick was saved, but the ball found its way to Ryan Lima who twisted his body in mid-air to convert a bicycle kick goal.

Just over five minutes after Lima opened the scoring, Meireles made good on his second shot of the half, sending a powerful boot past the Salve Regina goalkeeper for a score. Meireles' first career goal gave Rafael Gross his first career assist and extended the UMass Boston lead to 2-0.

After surviving the first half without a test, goalkeeper JJ Devine made several key saves in the second half to preserve his shutout, including two attempts in rapid succession in the 77th minute. It appeared that Devine would finish the match with a clean sheet until a UMass Boston handball awarded a free kick to Salve Regina with just two seconds left to play.

The Seahawks' goal was too little too late, however, as the Beacons would win the match by a final score of 2-1.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Lima, the Beacons' third-leading scorer in 2022, notched his sixth career goal on Saturday
• After playing just nine total minutes as a sophomore, Devine played the full 90 in net for the Beacons, saving four shots and holding Salve Regina scoreless for over 89 minutes
• UMass Boston held the advantage in corner kick opportunities 11-9
• The victory improves the Beacons' all-time record against the Seahawks to 7-1-1, including a seven match unbeaten streak

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will return to Monan Park on Sunday to host Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a noon kickoff. Their last matchup with WPI ended in a 2-2 tie on October 25, 2022.