DARTMOUTH, Mass. – After a defensive showcase in the first half of this contest, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's soccer team fell 2-0 to Rhode Island College after two second-half goals from the Anchormen. The Corsairs drop to 1-10-2 and 0-5 in the conference, while the Anchormen 7-2-3 and boast a 3-1-2 LEC record.
After a scoreless first half, UMass Dartmouth was able to find a few good looks at the goal in the back half of play. One of the Corsairs' best looks came in the 64
th minute, with the game still scoreless, when senior
Joey Paiva was fouled just outside the attack box for a free kick. Paiva's left-footed screamer ricocheted off the wall RIC formed.
Rhode Island College's two scores came nearly back-to-back, in the 73
rd and 77
th minutes of the contest. The first score came in the form of a header from grad student Braeden Cannon off of sophomore Ahrian Vasquez's free kick. The second goal was scored by RIC freshman Cody Granville off of sophomore Tariq Adio's assist. The Corsairs had another scoring opportunity late when junior
Braeden LeClair had a chance on a ball that crossed in front of the goal, but LeClair's shot went wide right. The 90 minutes expired with Rhode Island College on top, 2-0 over UMass Dartmouth.
UMass Dartmouth's junior goalkeeper
Cole Travers was put to the test today. Travers made six saves on the day, including two high-difficulty stops heading to the upper part of the net. The Corsairs were out-shot 19-15 by the Anchormen. RIC goalkeeper Jake Reed stopped four of UMD's shots on-goal, while two other would-be-goals were kept out by defenders. \
The UMass Dartmouth men's soccer team returns to the pitch on Saturday, Sept. 14, when they host VTSU Castleton for an LEC conference battle with the Spartans. Kickoff is scheduled for 12pm.
