DANBURY, Conn. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's soccer team were edged in the Little East Conference (LEC) Semifinals at Western Connecticut State University, 2-0, on Wednesday evening. The Corsairs finished an outstanding season that saw the squad reach the LEC Semifinals for the first time since 2013. UMass Dartmouth conclude the 2025 campaign with a 7-9-4 overall record along with a 3-3-2 mark in conference play.
The Wolves gained early possession of the ball as both teams' nerves began to settle in the opening minutes of action. Nickolas Santana fired the first strike of the postseason tilt to force a save by Corsair goalkeeper
Ethan Donahue at the 5:17 mark. Although WestConn created dangerous attacking chances, UMass Dartmouth's defense was up to the challenge disrupting the Wolves passing especially through the midfield.
Near the midway point of the opening half, junior captain
Mario Rodriguez stepped up to take a free kick a few yards outside the Wolves box. Rodriguez curved the ball around the Wolves four-man wall to put a shot on frame that WestConnn goalkeeper Makai Smith saved with a diving effort. In the 31
st minute, sophomore forward
Derrick Camara chased down a long-range pass and squeezed a shot off while being pressured by a Wolves defender, but Smith was there to make the stop. WestConn produced two more shots in the half including a volley attempt by Santana that bounced off the crossbar to keep the score deadlocked at 0-0 heading into halftime.
Rodriguez ripped a quick shot on target to kick off the second half of the game with Smith making the save for WestConn. The Wolves responded swiftly with
Juan Gomez Herrera and Santana each putting a strike on-goal forcing two good stops by Donahue. After first year midfielder
Nick Scanlon posted his first shot of the game, the Wolves offense started to build momentum earning three corners and registering six shots.
At the 72:38 mark, Jokin Martinez lofted the ball into the top right corner of the net for WestConn to give the home team a 1-0 edge. A few minutes later, Aiden Roxo doubled the Wolves advantage with a set piece goal to make it 2-0. UMass Dartmouth continued to battle was time winded down with Rodriguez producing a late strike on frame, but the Wolves held on to seal their ticket to the LEC Championship by a final score of 2-0.
The Corsairs recorded all six of their shots on-goal against the Wolves with Rodriguez responsible for four of the six strikes. Camara and Scanlon also posted one shot apiece for UMass Dartmouth.
In net, Donahue registered seven saves to finish the season with a career-high 84 total stops. He wraps up the year with a 6-7-3 record in net for UMass Dartmouth and an impressive 78.5 save percentage.
