BOSTON, Mass. - The UMass Boston offense was firing on all cylinders as the men's soccer team powered through rain showers to defeat Worcester State bya final score of 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 5, Worcester State 1

UMass Boston (5-1-0)
Worcester State (0-1-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beacons took the field on Wednesday in search of their first three-game winning streak of the young season. As gray clouds rolled in, the home team got their start from a familiar source. In the 17th minute, reigning Little East Conference Co-Rookie of the Week John Arruda opened the scoring with his third goal of his freshman campaign.

Looking to extend the early lead, Ryan Lima helped Gabriel Meireles join him on the five-goal plateau, dishing him an assist to extend the Beacons' lead to 2-0 in the 22nd minute.

Reigning LEC Goalie of the Week Qasim El-Ashkar kept Worcester State off the board for over 40 minutes to open the match. That run came to a close, however, in the 41st minute as Taylor Gavaletz scored to cut the UMass Boston lead to 2-1.

By the start of the second half the rain was coming down in sheets, but the UMass Boston offense would not be deterred. The 52nd minute of the game saw Logan Erickson Potter cut through the slippery conditions to net his first goal of the season, extending the Beacons' lead to 3-1.

The 58th and 59th minutes saw Lima and Meireles play leap frog with the team goal-scoring lead. First, Lima capitalized on a missed shot to put his sixth goal of the season into the net. Less than a minute later, Meireles matched, scoring his sixth goal of the year and his second of the game.

Working in relief of El-Ashkar, goalie JJ Devine pitched a shutout in the second half, keeping the score 5-1 at the final horn.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Beacons' 5-1 record is their best six-game start since the 2016 season in which they started 10-0
• Meireles has recorded a point in all six games this season, Arruda holds a four-game point streak, and Lima a three-game streak
• Diego Gisholt played a team-high 82 minutes against the Lancers, his fifth time in six games playing at least 80 minutes
• El-Ashkar's goals against average sits at a team-best .80, while Devine lowered his to 1.2
• Lima and Meireles are tied for the LEC lead with 15 points apiece on the season
• UMass Boston has won seven straight matchups with Worcester State, improving their record in the all-time series to 10-3

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will open conference play when they travel to face Playmouth State University in a 1 PM match on Saturday, September 16.