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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
at Duquesne*
No. 16 Duquesne Defeats Men's Soccer 1-0
October 14, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 14, 2005
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The No. 16 Duquesne men's soccer team struck early in the first half on Friday night and held on to give the visiting UMass men's soccer team a 1-0 loss at Rooney Field. The Dukes scored on a set piece in the 19th minute of action and their defense held strong as Duquesne won its fourth consecutive game.
UMass fell to 4-8-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the Atlantic 10 with the loss, while Duquesne improves to 9-2-0 overall, 3-0-0 in the A-10.
The Dukes went into intermission with the 1-0 lead following Travis MacKenzie's rocket header fired just inside the left post to beat UMass keeper Zack Simmons (Durham, N.H.). The play was set-up after a UMass foul at the corner of the 18-yard box allowed Nick Balara to find MacKenzie on the free kick.
"The guys gave a great effort tonight, no doubt, but we had some mistakes in the midfield that hurt us," said head coach Sam Koch.
The Minutemen had several chances on their own set-piece opportunities, specifically two header attempts by sophomore Kenny Cook (Fairport, N.Y.), but could not capitalize.
Two shots for UMass went just high of the intended mark as sophomore Matty Lemire (Ipswich, Mass.) fired a shot in the 33rd minute of play that richoceted off the cross bar and freshman Mike DeSantis (Stoneham, Mass.) ripped a shot from 25 yards out in the 51st minute that was six-inches too high glancing off the cross bar as well.
The first half featured most of the offensive action as Duquesne outshot UMass 10-to-7. In the second frame, UMass managed four shots while holding the Dukes to just two. The Minutemen matched their season-high in corner kicks today with 10 opportunities, while Duquesne had nine.
Simmons made four saves in goal including two spectacular diving efforts among a scrum of players next to the right post in the second half. The first Duke shot in that series was deflected by the redshirt freshman, while he managed back to his right on the ground to smother the second shot fired off the looseball rebound.
Zach Varga made five saves for Duquesne for his fifth shutout of the season.
Duquesne remains in a first-place tie among the Atlantic 10 leaders as Saint Louis defeated visiting Rhode Island on Friday night with three second remaining in the second overtime period.
UMass will return to action on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. when the Minutemen travel to Atlantic 10 newcomer Saint Louis. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides. The Billikens are one of the most storied programs in NCAA history having won 10 national championships in a span of 13 seasons. Last season was the first time in 15 years that SLU did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
