BOSTON, Mass. - After falling behind in the early goings of the first half, UMass Boston Men's Soccer found their offensive footing, exploding for five goals in a dominant 5-1 victory over Worcester Polytechnic Institute at Monon Park Soccer Field on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 5, WPI 1

UMass Boston (2-0-0)
WPI (0-1-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first 20 minutes of Saturday's matchup saw physical play from both sides, preventing either offense from wagering a shot on goal. 

The 21st minute of the match saw the scoreless tie give way as the WPI's Codey Battista netted his first goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The Beacons' first deficit of the season would not last long. As the 29th minute ticked off the clock, Ryan Lima took a corner kick as an opportunity to set up fellow sophomore Luan Cruz for his first goal of the season. The connection knotted the score at 1-1.

With both teams looking to break the tie before halftime, the Beacons again found themselves with an opportunity to capitalize on a corner kick. Though the initial shot attempt was saved, Diego Gisholt gathered the rebound and put the ball into the back of the net, securing the first UMass Boston lead of the afternoon.

After getting hot to end the first half, the Beacons proved that they intended to continue the trend out of the break. In the 63rd minute, Gabriel Meireles, who scored his first career goal courtesy of a Rafael Gross assist on Friday, returned the favor, feeding Gross an assist on his own first career score. 

With under ten minutes to play and a comfortable 3-1 lead, the UMass Boston offense remained relentless. Meireles continued his stellar debut weekend, scoring his second goal of the young season before dishing his second assist of the half to Lima.

Making his season debut in net, Qasim El-Ashkar played all 90 minutes against WPI, wiping out four straight shots on goal after letting up the opening score and holding the Engineers scoreless in the second half.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Each making their debut this weekend, Meireles (2G, 2A) and Gross (1G, 1A) have combined for six points in their first two games
• Defenders Gisholt (180 minutes) and Ian Visnick (176 minutes) lead the team in minutes played, having combined to miss just four in two games
• Five goals is the most scored in a game by the Beacons since their 6-1 victory over UMass Dartmouth on October 12, 2022
• El-Ashkar improved his career record at UMass Boston to 16-7-4 with the victory
• Saturday marked the Beacons' first-ever win over WPI

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will travel to Fitchburg State on Tuesday, September 5 with hopes of maintaining their undefeated record. The 7 PM match will mark the 36th meeting between the teams with UMass Boston winning the last two.