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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
7-5-5, 4-3-1
Dayton
6-6-5, 3-1-4
Minutemen Drop 3-1 Decision At Dayton
October 28, 2023 | Men's Soccer
Alec Hughes scored the lone UMass goal in the 85th minute.
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Massachusetts men's soccer team fell to Dayton 3-1 on Saturday night. The Minutemen finished out the regular season 7-5-5 while Dayton moved to 6-6-5. Alec Hughes scored the solo UMass goal in the 85th to avoid the clean sheet.
From the start, the Flyers tested Matt Zambetti and the UMass defense, registering eight shots in the first 20 minutes of the game. The Minutemen answered the call every time, blocking two shots, recording a team save, and Zambetti making three saves to keep the game scoreless.
In the 23rd minute, Mike Willis struck one to the bottom left corner, but Dayton goalkeeper Dario Caetano was able to make his first save of the night. The shot was the only one on target in the first half for the Minutemen and Dayton went into the locker room with a 16-5 shot advantage.
Coming out of the break, the Flyers were able to beat Zambetti for the first time. In the 49th minute, Sidike Jabateh scored from outside the box to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Less than 30 seconds later, Kenji Mboma Dem scored for Dayton again and the Minutemen quickly found themselves in a 2-0 hole.
In the 80th minute, Nick Zielonka had a chance to cut the Flyers lead in half as a Michael Rojas cross went through the Dayton defense. As Zielonka turned and shot, Caetano came out and made his second save to keep their lead at two.
Five minutes later, Hughes was able to put UMass on the board. A blocked shot from Anthony Catanzaro bounced perfectly to Hughes who buried it to give the Minutemen some life in the 85th minute.
The Flyers however would put the game away as Mboma Dem added his second goal of the night in the 90th minute.
Matt Zambetti finished the night with seven saves while Dayton outshot UMass 24-9 and built up an 11-3 shot on goal advantage.
The Minutemen will now wait for their quarterfinal matchup as Atlantic 10 playoffs start next week.
For complete coverage of the UMass men's soccer team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @UMassMSoccer and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
Team Stats
Sidike Jabateh (5)
Assisted By: Joseph Melto Quiah
GOAL by Dayton Jabateh, Sidike Assist by Melto Quiah, Joseph.
48:11
Kenji Mboma Dem (5)
Assisted By: Joseph Melto Quiah
GOAL by Dayton Mboma Dem, Kenji Assist by Melto Quiah, Joseph.
48:36
Alec Hughes (14)
Assisted By: Anthony Catanzaro
GOAL by UMass Hughes, Alec Assist by Catanzaro, Anthony.
84:53
Kenji Mboma Dem (5)
GOAL by Dayton Mboma Dem, Kenji.
89:34
