Men's Soccer Battles Saint Peter's to 1-1 Draw

AMHERST, Massachusetts - An action packed first half gave way to a defensive standoff on Saturday afternoon as the UMass men's soccer team and Saint Peter's battled to a 1-1 double-overtime draw in the Minutemen's home opener at Rudd Field. Junior Alex DeSantis scored for the Minutemen in the 19th minute, while Saint Peter's scored on a penalty kick in the 43rd minute.

Both teams earned their first draws of the season with their records standing at 0-2-1. The Minutemen will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 6 as New Hampshire visits Rudd Field for a 4 p.m. kickoff.

DeSantis' first goal of the season came on a free kick as he struck a heavy ball from 30-yards out. The shot went through traffic tucking itself inside the left post giving UMass the 1-0 lead.

Saint Peter's tied the game in the 43rd minute on a foul inside the 18-yard box. Luke Fairlamb fired his penalty kick to right of a diving Jorge Becerra with enough pace on the shot to beat the UMass keeper inside the right post.

From there, both defenses rose to the occassion with a scoreless second half leading to overtime. Neither side was able to record a shot in the first overtime. The Peacocks had a flurry of chances in the second overtime, but the defense was able to block three and Becerra made a save on the fourth.

The evenly contested match saw UMass hold a slight 16-to-15 edge in shots overall but that was bolstered by a 13-shot first half. Each side managed four corner kicks in the match.

Becerra made three saves for the Minutemen, while Jamie Cleland made five for Saint Peter's.

For complete coverage of UMass men's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassMSoccer and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Brandon Merklin

Alex DeSantis

Andrew Barrowman

Matthew Mooney

Players Mentioned

Jorge Becerra

Alex DeSantis

Players Mentioned

Jorge Becerra

Alex DeSantis

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics