Although The University of Rhode Island men’s soccer team ended its two-game scoring drought with a first-half goal, the Rams still fell at home to the University of Massachusetts Minutemen, 2-1 on Saturday night.
The loss dropped the Rams to 11th in the Atlantic 10 standings and hurt their chances of making the playoffs with three games remaining, two of them being A-10 matchups. With the top eight teams in the conference advancing to the postseason, Rhode Island now has extra ground to make up in the final stretch of the regular season.
Both offenses attacked early and often in the first half, with the Minutemen consistently placing balls in the penalty box within the first five minutes of the game but the Rams clearing them away with headers. The Rams then followed suit and put pressure on the Minutemen defense in the 10th minute which created two scoring opportunities. Both opportunities were stopped by fourth-year goalkeeper Alec Geczy, who dove and leapt along the goal line to still hold the match at a scoreless draw.
In the 17th minute, URI fourth-year forward Brandon Bermingham put a shot on goal from the left wing that was batted down by Geczy, rebounding towards the feet of third-year midfielder Keegan Walker. Walker, in prime position right in front of the net, shot the ball as he fell towards the ground. Walker placed it past Geczy’s outstretched hands and into the left side of the net. The goal was the first for URI since their game against Loyola University Chicago on Oct. 5, putting them up 1-0.
“It was a great feeling to get my first goal for Rhode Island,” Walker said. “[It] wasn’t enough today, but [it] felt good.”
With just eight minutes left in the first half, UMass fifth-year midfielder Mike Willis lobbed a pass to a streaking fifth-year forward Oliver Akintade. Akintade crossed the ball along the goalline and past three URI defenders to fellow fifth-year forward Alec Hughes. Hughes one-timed the ball and squeezed it in between fourth-year goalkeeper Edu Rodriguez and the right goal post for the goal to bring the score to a 1-1 tie heading into halftime.
“They were first to react to the ball,” URI Head Coach Gareth Elliott said. “That’s what it was; you just gotta react to the ball inside your own box and they were the first to react.”
Walker got another chance to put the ball into the back of the net in the 53rd minute as he nutmegged two Minutemen defenders and snuck the ball past a third one before the ball was saved by a diving Geczy to keep the score at 1-1.
12 minutes later, UMass third-year midfielder Matt Cence delivered a free kick into the penalty box that bounced off multiple UMass and URI players and right in front of the goal. Third-year defender Aiden Kelly, after taking a second to process the pinball-esque path the ball took, shot the ball right through Rodriguez’s legs and into the back of the net. The go-ahead goal gave the Minutemen a 2-1 lead.
The Rams would not go down without a fight, as they put up seven shots in the final 13 minutes of the game to try and secure a point towards the standings with a tie. The offensive barrage was to no avail as the Minutemen constantly put their bodies on the line, taking shot after shot to the torso, until the clock eventually reached triple zeroes.
“I thought we played very well and tried to execute the game plan,” Elliott said. “I think we were unfortunate to come out 2-1 losers tonight. We’ll take inventory [of who’s injured Sunday] and see who’s gonna be available for [Saint Joseph’s University].”
The Rams will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Hawks on Saturday at 5 p.m, looking to keep their postseason hopes alive with a win. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.