By Staff Writer Sara Vasquez
This week, the UMassD Men’s Soccer team played two games, against Western Connecticut and Bridgewater State, with each carrying in-conference importance.
The first game of the two was against Bridgewater State on Tuesday, October 22nd, where the game was set to begin in the early afternoon hours at 3:30pm. The second game of the week, scheduled against Western Connecticut, was set for Saturday, October 26th at 3:00pm.
Unfortunately, the Men’s team suffered difficult losses in both of the games, despite both events staying relatively close in terms of final scores. Tuesday’s game ended with a final score of 2-1, and on Saturday, the Corsairs lost by a final score of 3-1.
In the Corsairs’ first game against Bridgewater State, the UMassD team managed to hold the Bears’ lead to within a single score. The Corsairs were able to win out against the Bears in terms of time of possession, which took unnecessary stress off the defense and, in turn, allowed the offense shoot a total of 16 shots, with one managing to poke through for a goal in the second half of regulation.
Both goals that the Bridgewater State Bears scored during the game occurred within the first half. As the game progressed, the Corsairs managed to keep the Bears scoreless, but could not transition their defensive success to offensive scoring output.
Comparatively, the Corsairs’ next game against Western Connecticut posed a greater challenge to the already struggling soccer team. The two teams mirrored each-other in scoring opportunities and shots, but the Corsairs lagged behind the Colonials in goals scored.
Particularly aggressive play between the two teams meant that penalties were common and significantly flagrant through this game, with the Corsairs committing 17 total penalties to the Colonials’ 18.
From the looks of it, the men’s soccer team suffered two playoff-relevant losses this week, with just one week’s worth of games remaining in the season. Despite whatever outcome this team encounters at the end of their campaign, one could only hope that they can manage to finish strong with back-to-back wins.
Two more games remain for the Corsairs before the season is completely over. They have their next upcoming game scheduled for Tuesday, October 29, at 6:00 pm, against Coast Guard. The season finale will be played against Castleton at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 2nd.