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University of Massachusets Athletics
Regional Rivalry Week As Vermont, UNH Visit Rudd
September 21, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 21, 2010
Regional Rivalry Week As Vermont, UNH Visit Rudd

Two of UMass' top regional rivals will visit Rudd Field this week as the Minutemen host Vermont on Wednesday and New Hampshire on Saturday. UMass enters the mid-week tilt against the Catamounts with a 1-2-2 record, while Vermont is 4-1-2 entering the contest. New Hampshire is 2-0-2 on the season and will face Bryant on Wednesday.
The Minutemen are coming off a split weekend against UCF and No. 24 Indiana. Last Friday, freshmen Brett Canepa and Tyler Cleverdon each scored their first career goals to lift the Minutemen to a 2-1 win over the Knights. On Sunday, UMass dropped a tough 2-1 loss to the Hoosiers. Sophomore Hellah Sidibe scored his first career goal in the match. UMass had two quality chances to tie the game in the final five minutes, but a deflection off a corner kick was saved on the back-post goal line by an Indiana defender and a shot by Andrew Henshaw from six-yards out with 15 seconds remaining glanced off the right post.
UMass is in the midst of an eight-game home stand. So far on the year, UMass is 1-2-0 at home.
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).
Vermont enters the match with UMass on a four-game unbeaten streak after a pair of wins at its Nike Fall Classic and a pair of double-OT draws at the Colgate Adidas Classic. Nick O'Neill leads the Catamounts with four goals and two assists. Overall, seven different players have combined for Vermont's 11 goals on the year. Keeper Xan Rousselle has started the bulk of Vermont's schedule with a 0.52 GAA and an .897 save percentage.
New Hampshire has started off the season alternating wins and ties. Last weekend at Vermont's Nike Classic, the Wildcats forced a draw with Cornell before defeating Presbyterian 2-1. Four different players have scored goals for UNH with Brad Hilton also having an assist to lead the team in points with three. Colin O'Donnell has started three of the four matches with a 0.29 GAA and a .938 save percentage.
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.
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 69 appearances while Amick and Vaccaro have played in 68 and 66 games, respectively. Arikian's 38 points (9 goals, 20 assists) leads the team as do his 5 game-winning goals. Amick is the team's second leading career scorer with 18 points (7 goals, 4 assists). Chris Piekos leads the clubs goalkeepers with a career 0.73 GAA, a .859 save percentage, and a 4-4-4 record.
Vs. Vermont & New Hampshire
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).
Next Up: Dartmouth & Siena
Next week will also be a Wednesday/Saturday schedule for the Minutemen as they welcome Dartmouth and Siena to Rudd Field. Wednesday's game against Dartmouth will kick-off at 3:00 PM, while the Siena match is slated for a 1 PM start on Saturday. UMass is 5-22-3 all-time against the Big Green with UMass earning a 2-1 win in the last meeting between the two clubs in 2007. Against Siena, UMass is 14-1-2 all-time after a 2-0 win over the Saints last year.
Arikian Moves Up In Record Book
With 20 assists in 69 career matches, senior Ben Arikian is now tied for sixth all-time at UMass for career assists. The Hermann Watch List selection is tied with Ferdie Adoboe who had 20 helpers from 1984-87. Arikian needs two more assists to move into a tie for fourth place and eight to tie for first with Yuri Morales (1999-2002).
Scoring Up In 2010
Through the first five games of the year, UMass has six goals compared to just three in 2009. UMass also had six goals in the first five games in 2008 and four in 2007. The Minutemen tallied seven goals in the first five contests in 2006.
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 matches, UMass was unbeaten in 18 games when scoring a goal - the last loss when scoring a goal was at New Hampshire (2-1). Indiana handed UMass its second loss of the year when the Minutemen were able to score.
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 (5-5) and have neither scored or given up any overtime goals. The Minutemen have gone the last three games without allowing a first half goal.
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 69 career matches at UMass scoring nine goals while adding 20 assists for 38 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, and Indiana.
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 204-141-38. His overall coaching record now stands at 262-194-53 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 45-24-7 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!