MSOC: UCF, #24 Indiana Visit Rudd Field This Weekend

Sept. 15, 2010

UMass Hosts Weekend Pair Against UCF, #24 Indiana At Rudd Field 
It's a huge weekend for the UMass men's soccer team as UCF and #24 Indiana visit Rudd Field this Friday and Sunday. Friday's match is set for a 3:30 PM kick-off, while Sunday's game will start at 1 PM. Admission to both games is free to all at Rudd Field.

Friday: GameTracker | Watch Live | Directions To Rudd Field
Sunday: GameTracker | Watch Live
Season Stats | PDF Stats | Career Stats | Media Guide

The Minutemen are coming off a 0-0 double overtime draw at Fairfield last Saturday and are 0-1-2 on the season. UCF is 3-1 on the year (1-1 on the road), while the Hoosiers are 2-2 this season after defeating Drake on Sunday.

The two games this weekend kick off an eight-game home stand for UMass. The Minutemen will not be on the road again until Oct. 16 at Rhode Island.

Fans can follow the game from UMassAthletics.com with GameTracker Live Stats or by watching online through UMass' All-Access Streaming Video. Additionally, the games will be broadcast on CBS3 Now (Comcast Digital Channel 293).

UCF opened the season with a pair of wins over Jacksonville and Florida Atlantic by a combined 9-0 score. This past weekend, the Knights opened a five-game road trip with a pair of games at UNC Wilmingtion falling to the Seahawks 1-0 before defeating Long Island 2-0 on Sunday. Nicholas Keown-Robson of New Zealand leads UCF with 3 goals and 3 assists through four games followed by Spencer Scott who has 2 goals and 3 assists. Keeper Shawn Doyle has allowed just one goal with three shutouts in 360 minutes of play posting a 0.25 GAA and a .900 save percentage.

Indiana has wins over then No. 5 UCLA (5-1) and No. 22 Drake, but lost at home against Cal and on the road against Cal Poly. Will Bruin leads the team with 4 goals and 1 assist followed by Andy Adlard who has 2 goals and 2 assists. Keeper Luis Soffner is posting a 0.96 GAA and a .667 save percentage in 377 minutes of action. The Hoosiers will play at Brown on Friday.

UMass recorded its second draw of the season last weekend at Fairfield in a defensive-minded tilt. Keeper Chris Piekos made the start dropping his GAA to 0.41 on the season. He has a .889 save percentage in two games - both of which were draws. Bryant Craft is UMass' early scoring leader with a pair of goals followed by Stuart Amick who has one.

The Minutemen are led in the midfield by Hermann Watch List Candidate and preseason All-American Ben Arikian. Andrew Henshaw anchors the defense and is coming off an NSCAA All-Regional performance last season. Springfield native Chris Roswess is also one of UMass' top scoring threats at forward.

Defense will once again be the key to the Minutemen's success during the season. UMass led the Atlantic 10 last season in goals-against-average (0.77) and was one of the top 25 teams nationally. Offensive production will certainly be a focus for the Minutemen as they tallied just 15 goals last season while allowing 14.

UMass has been picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll as announced by the league in July. Saint Louis was selected to defend its 2009 league title followed by Charlotte.

Clubhouse Leaders  
Three Minutemen have played in over 60 career matches for UMass: Stuart Amick, Ben Arikian and Chris Vaccaro. Arikian, a two-time preseason All-American and Hermann Watch Candidate, leads the team with 67 appearances while Amick and Vaccaro have played in 66 and 65 games, respectively. Arikian's 36 points (9 goals, 18 assists) leads the team as do his 5 game-winning goals. Amick is the team's second leading career scorer with 16 points (6 goals, 4 assists). Chris Piekos leads the clubs goalkeepers with a career 0.63 GAA, a .871 save percentage, and a 4-3-4 record.

Vs. UCF & Indiana
These will be the first meetings between UMass and both schools.

Next Up: Vermont & New Hampshire
UMass will host a pair of America East clubs as Vermont and New Hampshire pay visits to Rudd Field. The Vermont match will be a Wednesday tilt on Sept. 22, while the Wildcats come to Amherst on Saturday afternoon. The Minutemen are 8-19-5 all-time against the Catamounts after playing last season to a 1-1 draw. All-time against New Hampshire, UMass is 26-15-4 in one of the longest standing rivalries for the Minutemen. Those two sides also played to a 0-0 draw last season. The Minutemen have not actually beaten the Wildcats since 2004 (0-4-1).

Nail-biting Finishes  
UMass has started 2010 in much the same vein as 2009. Last season, UMass opened the season against Boston University playing to a 1-1 double overtime draw. Seven games last year were 1-0 games, while five other games reached double overtime. UMass was 2-5 in 1-0 games and 0-2-3 in overtime matches. In A-10 play, UMass was 2-4-0 in one goal games and 0-0-2 in overtime matches.

Undefeated With A Goal   
Going into the season, it was well documented that UMass needed to score goals this year to improve upon 2009. Although the cliché says defense wins championships, for UMass, scoring even just one goal last year put the Minutemen in the win column. With one of the top defenses in the country, even just one goal was made to stand as the game-winner. UMass was 6-0-2 last year when scoring at least one goal. In each of the six losses and one tie, UMass failed to score. Until the Harvard match, UMass was unbeaten in 18 games when scoring a goal - the last loss when scoring a goal was at New Hampshire (2-1).

A Good Start Is Key   
The first half was a key to success for UMass as the Minutemen outscored opponents 8-to-4 despite being outshot 71-to-95 in 2009. Things were a bit closer in the second half with UMass outscoring opponents 5-to-4, while the Minutemen did not score any goals in overtime. In 2010, UMass is being outscored in the first half 2-1, but even in the second half (2-2) and have neither scored or given up any overtime goals.

Set And Score  
UMass used a variety of methods and players when scoring goals last year. Of the 15 goals scored last year, seven came off set pieces - either throw-ins, corners, free kicks, etc. Seven different players scored a goal last season with five of those hitting game-winning goals. In 2010, only one goal so far has been scored in a set-piece situation - a penalty kick scored by Bryant Craft against Harvard.

UMass Top D-Unit In A-10  
Last season, UMass was the top defensive units in the league despite having mostly new faces on the back line and in goal. The Minutemen led the league in goals allowed (14), goals against average (0.82), and ranked 6th in shutouts (6). Nationally, UMass ranked 22nd (among 203) in goals against average. This year, UMass ranks 5th in the Atlantic 10 with a 1.16 goals against average after allowing 4 goals in three games (tied for second fewest in the league).

Big Shot Ben   
Senior midfielder Ben Arikian has shown throughout the course of his career that he is an impact player. The West Islip, N.Y. native has played in 67 career matches at UMass scoring nine goals while adding 18 assists for 36 points. He has five career game-winning goals. Last season, he factored into four game-winning goals either scoring or setting up the go-ahead tally. In 2008, Arikian scored or assisted the game-winning goal in eight of UMass' 10 wins.

Fearsome Foursome  
The UMass defensive back four turned in some excellent outings in 2009 as has become the hallmark of the team over the last several years. The Minutemen return all four starters from last season on the back line: Andrew Henshaw, David Key, Dominic Skrajewski, and Mark Dangleis. Morgan Brandso and Michael Doherty also played significant minutes on defense as well.

Strong In Goal  
The Minutemen have a great strength defensive with a pair of national caliber keepers in goal. Chris Piekos and Shane Curran-Hays each return to mind the nets for 2010. The duo split time in goal last season with Piekos posting a single-season school record 0.68 goals against average to go along with a .868 save percentage. Curran-Hays was not far behind with a 0.90 goals against average and an .811 save percentage.

Commonwealth Well Represented   
Almost half of the 2009 squad hails from Massachusetts (12) with a heavy mid-west flavor to the balance of the team. The Minutemen feature players from Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Koch Reaches Yet Another Milestone
    Head Coach Sam Koch enters his 20th season at UMass and his 26th season overall as a head coach. Last season, he picked up his 200th win at UMass following the 3-0 shutout of Colgate. For his career in Amherst, he is 204-140-38. His overall coaching record now stands at 262-193-53 between his stints at UMass and Stanford.

The `Fort Rudd' Advantage   
Few home fields yield such a distinct advantage as Rudd Field, aka FORT RUDD. At home UMass is 45-23-7 since the facility opened in 2002. All told, UMass has pitched 25 shutouts at home and has won nearly 70% of its Atlantic 10 matches in the friendly home confines. That home field advantage will be key this year as the Minutemen will host 11 home games including eight consecutive.

Streaming Video Live From Rudd Field   
The UMass Media Relations Department is proud to announce that the 2010 men's soccer regular-season home games will once again be streamed live over UMassAthletics.com this year. Along with live video of games, make sure to check out UMass All-Access Multimedia for player profiles, interviews with head coach Sam Koch, and much more. You can sign up for an All-Access Pass by clicking on the Multimedia link at UMassAthletics.com.

UMass/CBS3 Now To Air 100 Games In 2010-11
    UMass and CBS3 Now have partnered to bring fans in Western Mass 100 games to be televised on the digital television channel. Fans can watch a selection of field hockey, soccer, football, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, softball and baseball games on CBS3 Now which can currently be viewed on Comcast Digital Channel 293.

Order Photos From The 2010 Season   
The UMass Media Relations Department offers fans the chance to purchase photos from the 2010 men's soccer season. Simply go to UMassAthletics.com, find the photo you like in our photo galleries and click the tab that says Buy Now. You can choose from several different size options, custom framing, even an exciting new Gallery Canvas Wrap - all shipped directly to your door. Make sure to capture your favorite memory of the season to proudly display your Maroon & White pride!

Free Soccer E-Newsletter 
  Fans, want to get all the latest information on the UMass men's soccer team? Sign up today by contacting John Sinnett (jsinnett@admin.umass.edu) in the UMass media relations department. You will receive weekly notes, feature stories, postgame recaps, box scores and more delivered straight to your inbox. It's the best way to keep up with the Minutemen, so sign up today!

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