Massachusetts
Minutemen Host Crusaders After Long Weekend – University of Massachusetts Athletics
| University of Massachusetts Men’s Soccer Notes & Information | |
| Matchup | Massachusetts vs. Holy Cross |
| Date | Time | Tuesday, Oct. 14 | 3 p.m. ET |
| Location | Rudd Field | Amherst, Mass. |
| @UMassMSoccer | |
| UMass Men’s Soccer | |
| UMass Men’s Soccer | |
AMHERST, Mass. – Massachusetts (6-3-4, 2-2-1 A10) is set for a matchup with Holy Cross (2-8-3, 1-3-1 PAT) Tuesday afternoon at Rudd Field. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. with action streaming live on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
The Minutemen are coming off a 4:2 loss at Davidson Saturday night. Oliver Akintade scored a brace for UMass to fuel a late-game comeback to trail 3-2 in the 84th minute. However, a 90th minute goal by the Wildcats would close the game in UMass’s first loss since Sep. 21.
Eyes on the Minutemen
UMass received votes from the United Soccer Coaches Poll, leaving the Minutemen just outside the top 25 rankings. Massachusetts also ranked in at No. 34 in the latest NCAA Men’s Soccer RPI.
Hughes Chasing Records
Alec Hughes currently stands second among All-Time goal scorers in program history (45), trailing only Jeff Deren ’03 (48). Hughes leads the NCAA top goal scorer chart with 10 goals on the season and 21 points respectively. He is currently trailing recent Massachusetts Athletics Hall of Famer Jeff Deren on most goals scored (48) and total points in program history (113), with Hughes having 45 goals and 98 points.
Deren (’99-’03) was inducted into the Hall of Fame this past August, helping the Minutemen to Atlantic 10 regular season championships in 2000 and 2002 while also leading UMass to the 2001 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Deren was twice named an All-American (2001, 2002), Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year (2001, 2002) and an All-New England honoree (2001, 2002).
A Look at the Squad
UMass returns 16 players from last year’s roster including Hughes and fellow graduate student Mike Willis.
Additionally, the Minutemen welcome nine newcomers featuring Dean Linden (Fr.), Sean Fernandez-Davila (Fr.), Joseph Bianco (Jr.), Johan Feilscher (Gr.), Kyle Stenzel (Gr.), Bilal Hersi (Gr.), Chris Giglio (Gr.), Layton Purchase (Gr.), and Oliver Akintade (Gr.).
Scouting Holy Cross
Holy Cross comes to Rudd Field with a 2-8-3 record in 2024. The Crusaders posted a 5-10-3 record last season, going 2-5-2 in Patriot League play. Holy Cross looks to bounce back from a five-game skid, most recently dropping a 2-0 decision to Lafayette on the road.