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UMass Goalkeeper Zack Simmons makes a save. (Source: UMass Athletics) |
Brown and Cook, along with flanking backs Douglas Rappaport and Dan Lepone and goalkeeper Zach Simmons, led UMass to a 14-7-1 record, the Atlantic-10 Championship and just the second tournament berth in program history.
The defense helped Simmons set the school’s all-time shutout record while posting a 0.75 goals-against-average and a .853 save percentage. The Eagles’ Brown boasts similar numbers to Simmons, with a 0.69 GAA and a .803 save percentage, although BC receives much more fanfare for what it does on offense.
It’s on the offensive side of the pitch where ACC Coach of the Year Ed Kelly’s squad does its best work. Alejandro Bedoya, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, is a game-breaker. The junior midfielder posted seven goals, including four game-winners, on 74 shots and led the Eagles with 10 assists on the year.
One of his primary targets is senior striker Sherron Manswell, who leads the team with 11 goals. The Eagles’ attack is balanced out with Mike Konicoff, Paul Gerstenberger, and Reuben Ayarna each of who registered 13 points.
Sophomores Bryan Hogan and Mark DeSantis lead UMass offensively with 12 points each. Hogan has five goals and two assists, while DeSantis has four goals and four assists.
The Minutemen rebounded from a slow 2-4 start to the season, playing at 12-3-1 clip since, en route to their 10th trip to the A-10 Tournament. UMass won its second ever conference title after beating defending champion URI in the semifinals then downing Charlotte in the A-10 Championship Final.
Last Friday, UMass hosted its first ever NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament game at Rudd Field and survived a late Boston University rally to win, 2-1. UMass led 2-0 for much of the match, but the Terriers scored in the 87th minute and had an open net shot deflect off the right post with 40 seconds remaining to give the final score.
BC won the ACC regular season title after finishing with a conference mark of 7-1-0. The Eagles then defeated Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest to capture the 2007 ACC Tournament championship last week in Cary, N.C.
This is the first time since 1988 that the two Commonwealth rivals have faced each other on the pitch. All-time UMass is 14-5-2 against the Eagles.
The winner of the match will face the winner of the Central Connecticut/Tulsa game in Oklahoma on either Friday or Saturday in the third round.
Material from school press releases was used in this report.
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