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• UMass returns to Amherst this weekend and will open a two-game homestand at Rudd Field, beginning Saturday against VCU. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m..
ABOUT UMASS
• UMass is 1-9 and 0-1 in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutemen have lost their last four by 1-goal margins.
• The Minutemen have been playing better of late, including Wednesday’s performance at Hartford. UMass took a season-high 22 shots and had a number of scoring chances before the Hawks claimed an overtime victory.
•UMass is posting 10.5 shots per game, while allowing 17.3 to its opponents. Senior Josh Schwartz leads the team with seven points, including his first assist of the year on Luke Pavone’s first goal of 2014 at Hartford.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST VCU
• UMass and VCU are meeting for the second time in men’s soccer on Satruday. The Rams claimed a 4-0 win in Richmond last season.
• The Rams scored twice in the opening 19 minutes and outshot the Minutemen 14-10 in the A-10 opener for both teams last year.
ABOUT VCU
• VCU enters the game with a 4-7-1 record following a 1-0 Loss at Maryland. The Rams are 1-4-1 away from home and 3-3-0 at Sports Backers Stadium.
• VCU was picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Last season the Rams tied for third and advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 Championship before losing to eventual champ George Mason, 3-2 in overtime.
• Senior Kharlton Belmar leads the team in points (8) and goals (4), while classmate Mario Herrera Meraz has handed out three assists. Belmar was named the A-10 Co-Player of the Week after scoring twice in the win over #20 George Mason.
• In goal, freshman Pierre Gardan will replace junior Garrett Cyprus for today’s game. Cyprus received a red card 16:04 into the loss at Maryland.
IN THE ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
• UMass is tied for 12th in the league with 0.67 goals per game. VCU is ninth with 1.18 gpg.
• On the defensive side of the field, VCU is fourth with a 0.96 goals against average and UMass is 11th with 2.21.
• UMass sophomore Luke Pavone ranks fourth in the league with three assists.
UMASS ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• The Minutemen roster features 13 returnees and 12 newcomers this season. The starting lineup in the season-opener at Utah Valley featured 10 returnees in the field and a redshirt freshman in goal. All eight substitutes used were newcomers to the program.
• A total of 21 players have appeared in a game thus far, with 14 seeing the field in seven of the eight contests.
2014 MARKS THE FIRST SEASON WITHOUT LONGTIME COACH Sam Koch
• After a two-year battle with sinus cancer, longtime head coach Sam Koch passed away on July 20 at his home in Hadley, Mass. Koch, 59, compiled a 222-182-45 record in 23 seasons at UMass, advancing to the NCAA postseason three times (2001, 2007 and 2008), including the 2007 NCAA College Cup Semifinals. He also coached six seasons at Stanford University from 1984-89 and went 58-53-16. His 280 career victories entering the fall placed him 21st among active Division I head coaches and 50th all-time in Division I history.
• In addition to the NCAA tourney success, the Minutemen won four regular-season Atlantic 10 titles, two Atlantic 10 Tournament titles. During his tenure in Amherst, the 29-year head coaching veteran produced two All-Americans in Jeff Deren (2001-02) and Zack Simmons (2007), three Academic All-Americans, one Academic All-American of the Year, a two-time Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, an Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, an Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year, two Atlantic 10 Rookies of the year, two Atlantic 10 Tournament MVPs, 27 All-Region selections, 62 All-Atlantic 10 players, 29 Academic All-Atlantic 10 honorees, two players to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Teams, a two-time Atlantic 10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 23 Atlantic 10 All-Tournament picks.
• Koch recorded 13 winning seasons with five-straight from 1999-2003, the most since UMass had six straight from 1969-74. Koch's teams notched 13 10-win seasons in Amherst, while the program had only managed that feat three times in the school's history prior to his arrival.
Devin O'Neill NAMED INTERIM HEAD COACH
• Veteran coach and current staff member Devin O'Neill has been named the Interim Head Coach of the Massachusetts men's soccer program.
• O'Neill, who was the Minutemen's top assistant under Sam Koch the past two years, has a 92-90 college head coaching record over 11 seasons. The 2014 campaign will be his 21st at the college level.
• The West Springfield, Mass. native had previous head coaching stops at East Carolina (1999-2002) and Gettysburg College (2003-09). He came to UMass following a two-year stint at Bradley in which the Braves participated in the NCAA Tournament each season.
• O'Neill graduated from Middlebury in 1991 and received his master's degree from Springfield College in 1993.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN SCHWARTZ ACTIVE SCORING LEADER ON TEAM
• Senior MF Josh Schwartz enters the season with 13 goals and six assists for 32 points in his career. He also has three game-winning goals. All of those figures are currently tops among the active players on the roster.
• Schwartz was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team and Jewish Sports Review First Team All-America last season. He carries a 3.957 GPA in Biology/Pre Med and was named the UMass Fall Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
UMASS PICKED 11TH IN A-10 PRESEASON POLL
• UMass was picked to finish 11th out of 13 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason coaches poll. Defending regular-season champ Saint Louis was picked first, followed by last year's tournament winner George Mason. Last season, the Minutemen were picked seventh before finishing in a tie for seventh.
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