BOSTON, MA (October 29, 2025) — What started as a cold, windy, and rainy Wednesday afternoon kickoff turned into a triumphant 4-0 win for UMass Boston men's soccer (10-3-4, 5-1-2 LEC), as they closed out the 2025 Little East Conference regular season against UMass Dartmouth (7-8-3, 3-3-2 LEC). 

With the victory, the Beacons finish the season locked in as the LEC two seed, securing a first-round bye and setting up a semifinal matchup against the winner of the LEC 3/6 game — likely featuring Eastern Connecticut State (8-6-1, 4-2-1 LEC) and Keene State (8-6-2, 2-4-1 LEC).

The Beacons applied heavy offensive pressure from the opening whistle, outshooting the Corsairs 16-4 in the first half. UMass Boston jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from junior forwards Rafael Gross (Minas Gerais, Brazil) and John Arruda (Espirito Santo, Brazil). After dribbling through two defenders, Arruda sent in a direct cross from the right wing that found Gross on the back post for an easy tap-in to open the scoring in the 24th minute.

Gross returned the favor just 11 minutes later, supplying Arruda from midfield before Arruda rifled his shot past the Corsairs' keeper to double the lead before halftime. The Beacons forced five saves from the Corsairs' goalie while first-year keeper Mario Hajhdi (Illiopolis, Greece) recorded two of his own. UMass Boston also held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks at the break.

The second half brought more of the same dominance from the Beacons. Just seven minutes after the restart, Arruda struck again with a solo goal — his second of the day and ninth of the season — to make it 3-0.

Twenty minutes later, junior defender Ryan Doherty (Quincy, Mass.) capped off the scoring in highlight-reel fashion. Stepping into a deep-range shot just a few dribbles past midfield, Doherty caught the Corsairs' keeper off his line. Despite a backpedal and diving effort, the shot sailed into the top-left corner for Doherty's third goal in as many consecutive games, sealing the 4-0 win. Assisting on the play was first year defender Diego Rivera (Easton, Mass.) who recorded his first collegiate point on the play.

UMass Boston outshot UMass Dartmouth 29-6, placing 11 shots on goal and earning six corner kicks in their final win of the regular season. Junior defender Jair Whyte (Saint Johns, Antigua and Barbuda) was the only Beacon out of 20 total players to play all 90 minutes, anchoring the back line with composure and pace.

The Beacons now earn an extended break before heading into next week's LEC Semifinal. UMass Boston will host the winner of Keene State vs. Eastern Connecticut on Wednesday, November 5, at a time to be determined in Boston, MA.