.png&type=webp){kind=icon}
.png&type=webp)
University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts Philadelphia Rivals
September 30, 1999 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 30, 1999
Amherst, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts men?s soccer team, having completed its non-conference schedule two weeks ago with their overtime upset of Washington, enters the second weekend of Atlantic 10 Conference play this weekend with two key matchups at Totman Field. On Friday, at 3:30 p.m., UMass (5-4, 0-1) will take on Temple (3-4-1, 1-0). Then on Sunday, in a 1:00 p.m. kickoff, UMass hosts St. Joseph?s (0-8-1, 0-1). While neither of this weekend?s opponents may compare in stature to Washington, these games are perhaps more important. To get to the NCAA Tournament, the Minutemen most likely need to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament. To get there, UMass will have to finish among the league?s top four teams, a fight that will be fierce from now until the final weekend of the regular season.
?Both games this weekend are important for us,? said head coach Sam Koch. ?Any conference game is important, because our tournament is just four teams and that is our springboard for getting into the NCAA Tournament.?
Last season, Temple downed UMass 2-1 in Philadelphia, though thoughts of revenge aren?t the key issue for Koch and his crew this time around.
?We need to go out and play hard for 90 minutes,? said Koch. ?In terms of revenge, I don?t remember much about that game. About the only thing I got out of it was a loss. It?s a definite home field advantage, playing both of these two teams at home. Playing in Philadelphia is never easy, no matter who you play. It?s almost like a one-goal advantage for us.?
UMass trails the all-time series with Temple 5-7-1. The last time the two met in Amherst, in 1997, UMass won, 4-0. In fact, Temple has not left Amherst victorious since 1990.
On Sunday, UMass will host St. Joseph?s (0-8-1). The winless Hawks come to New England looking to jump start their season, as they take on both Rhode Island (Friday) and UMass.
?They are a good team. I know they?ve had some injuries, but we can?t afford to take anybody lightly. They may be 0-8-1, but right now, they?re 0-1 because the Atlantic 10 is a new season and a new opportunity. They?re in the running, and we?d like to knock them out of the running on Sunday.?
The Minutemen hold an 8-4 edge in the all-time series with St. Joseph?s. Like Temple, the last Hawk win in Amherst came in 1990.
