| University of Massachusetts Men’s Soccer Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 18 | #8 Massachusetts (7-3-7 Overall, 2-1-5 Atlantic 10) at #1 Saint Louis (10-4-1, 6-1-1 Atlantic 10) |
| Date | Time | Friday, Nov. 4 | 8 p.m. ET |
| Location | St. Louis, Mo. (Hermann Stadium) |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| @UMassMSoccer | |
| UMass Men’s Soccer | |
| UMass Men’s Soccer | |
AMHERST, Mass. – The eighth-seeded Massachusetts men’s soccer team opens Atlantic 10 Championship play at top-seeded Saint Louis on Friday night. The Minutemen and Billikens kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in quarterfinal play.
Back In The Postseason
The Minutemen secured their first Atlantic 10 postseason bid since the 2018 season with a 2-1 win over Dayton in the regular season finale. UMass fell to No. 1-seed VCU in penalty kicks in 2018 and won the league tournament title in 2017 behind wins over Saint Louis, Fordham, and VCU. The Minutemen last reached the NCAA Tournament during the spring 2021 season on an at-large bid.
Last Time Out
UMass secured a postseason bid in the regular season finale with a 2-1 win over Dayton at Rudd Field. The Minutemen rallied from down a goal with two second half goals, beginning with a Nick Zielonka header in the 53rd-minute to equalize. Zielonka also assisted on the game-winning goal to Alec Hughes with :19 seconds remaining.
Hughes Leading The Way
Junior forward Alec Hughes led the Atlantic 10 in multiple offensive categories during the regular season, including goals (10), points (22), and shots per game (3.53.). Hughes ranks 15th nationally in total goals and 19th in points while ranking eighth in both shots per game and shots on goal per game.
Defensive Dominance
The Minutemen tied for the A-10 lead in opponent goal average in league play with a 0.75 goals against average. UMass allowed just six goals in eight conference matches and recorded clean sheets against Saint Joseph’s, Duquesne, and VCU.
Balanced Attack
UMass has six players with two or more goals on the season, led by Hughes’ 10 goals and two assists for 22 points. Zielonka ranks second on the squad in goals with six to go along with three assists while Evan Fournier has dished out a team-best five helpers with three goals. Shizu Yohena, Andrew Ortiz, and Ryan Levay have each added a pair of goals.
Approaching 300
Head Coach Fran O’Leary is three wins away from reaching 300 for his career. O’Leary has recorded 63 wins during his eight seasons aet UMass and holds a 297-188-77 all-time coaching record in college soccer.
A-10 Championship Schedule
The Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals conclude on Saturday with the semifinals set for Wednesday, Nov. 9 on the campus site of the top-two remaining seeds. The championship game is set for Sunday, Nov. 13 at noon.