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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Fordham *
UMass Pulls Away From Fordham In Second Half
October 19, 2003 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 19, 2003
AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass soccer team scored three second half goals in the final 25 minutes to pull away from a pesky Fordham squad and defeat the Rams, 4-1, at soggy Rudd Field Sunday afternoon. The win moves UMass' record to 9-4-1 overall and 3-2-1 in the Atlantic 10.
For the second straight game, neither team mounted a serious threat in the first 45 minutes. The Minutemen got a break when freshman Richard Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii) was tackled in the box, resulting in a UMass penalty kick. Ptah Myers (Columbus, Ohio) calmly drilled home the penalty kick into the left side of the goal for a 1-0 lead at the 40:52 mark.
Fordham tied the game at 1-1 on a pretty header by Richard Engel just five minutes into the second half, but Myers got the game-winner in the 69th minute. Dan Colwell (Spencer, Mass.) played a cross to Myers, who rolled a shot into the lower right corner for a 2-1 advantage. UMass added to the lead just 13 minutes later when Oral Bullen (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied his sixth goal of the season. Ernie Billittier (Mundelein, Ill.) played a ball to a streaking Bullen, who rolled a shot to the right post for a 3-1 lead. UMass ended the scoring when freshman Ian O'Donnell (Hampden, Mass.) headed home a Billittier corner kick with just 55 seconds remaining in the game for his first career goal.
UMass outshot the Rams, 18-12, and drew nine corner kicks to one for Fordham. Colin Burns (Newark, Del.) ran his record to 5-4-1 by making two saves in the net.
The Minutemen will be back in action next on Friday, Oct. 24, with a 7:00 p.m. game at nationally-ranked Duquesne.
