By Sports Editor Tom Griffin
The Corsair men’s soccer team endured a double–overtime scoreless tie against Coast Guard and earned a playoff appearance after defeating Castleton to end their regular season.
For everything that UMassD’s long bout against Coast Guard lacked in scoring, it made up for it with a rock solid defense and a will to endure whatever the Bears sent their way. Wading through an onslaught of 34 total shots and 11 shots on goal, Danny Andrade and Chris Moussavi held down the fort in net, surviving a grueling 110 minute duel to end the game at nil-nil.
Despite scoring no goals, Eric Barry assisted in taking pressure off of net, contributing four of the Corsairs 14 shots on the evening. Although lacking in offensive pressure compared to Coast Guard’s overwhelming 34 shots, UMassD snuck away with neither a playoff-sealing win, nor a season-ending loss, but a perfectly acceptable tie.
The Corsairs last win against Castleton demonstrated more of the team’s offensive talents.
Amidst a mostly quiet first half, Junior Monteiro chimed in with his first goal of the evening, setting UMassD at an early lead. That lead was quickly demolished mere minutes later when the Spartans poked in a tying score.
Disappointed with another tie nearing the half, the Corsairs immediately set to work on burying the once competitive Spartans. Thiago DeCarvalho, who had been silent in terms of both daily shooting output as well as scoring throughout the season, notched his first goal of 2019 from 20 yards out, padding the UMassD lead.
The Spartans would score only once through the entirety of the game, as Danny Andrade’s five-save performance shut down all Castleton scoring attempts in the second half.
For added measure, Junior Monteiro scored a second goal to further keep winning out of Castleton’s reach. Their late game surge propelled the Corsairs to a 3-1 dismantling of their Little East Conference opponent.
Beating Castleton raised the Corsairs to 3-4-1 within the Little East Conference, stealing the sixth seed from the recently defeated Spartans.
Their next matchup against the third-seeded Rhode Island College decides whether UMassD progresses their championship hopes or flounders in the first round. Standing at 5-2-1 within the LEC, their next opponent is far from a pushover.
However, the Corsairs’ previous matchup against the Anchormen ended in a 0-0 tie, so there’s no telling how far UMassD might go in playoffs.
(Photo Credit UMass Dartmouth Photographics)