University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
3-4-3, 0-2-0
Vermont
6-1-2, 1-0-0
Minutemen Draw With No. 14 Vermont
September 26, 2023 | Men's Soccer
Alec Hughes scores his eighth goal of the season to lead UMass
AMHERST, Mass.– Alec Hughes scored in the opening ten minutes as the Massachusetts Minutemen fought to a 1-1 draw against 14th-ranked Vermont on Tuesday evening at Rudd Field. The tie snapped the Minutemen's three-game losing streak as they improved to 3-4-3 while the Catamounts moved to 6-1-2.
Shane Velez flicked one over the top to a streaking Alec Hughes in the ninth minute of the game to put the Minutemen up 1-0 early on. The assist gave Velez his first collegiate point in his second career start. With the goal, Hughes moved into a tie for eighth place on the all-time career goals list with Alfred Hoelzel (1951-53) with 28 tallies.
Less than eight minutes after the Minutemen took the lead, the Catamounts responded with a goal of their own as Carter Johnson found Sydney Wathuta in the 17th minute.
The first half ended with a 5-4 shot advantage in favor of the Catamounts while UMass took five corners compared to Vermont's four.
The second half saw multiple scoring chances for both teams. UMass applied the pressure in the 51st minute when Michael Rojas put a shot to the bottom left corner but was turned aside. Off of Rojas' shot, Jack Englebert found himself with a chance to score but Vermont goalkeeper Owen Jack was able to make another one of his seven saves.
In the 76th minute, Vermont's Niels Hartman had a clean look at goal but was denied by junior goalkeeper Alex Geczy in his first start of the season. Geczy made a career-high five saves to keep the Minutemen even with the ranked Catamounts.
UMass had one final chance to break the tie in the 89th minute when Michael Rojas took a shot to the top left corner but Jack was once again able to get a hand on it. Rojas finished the game with a pair of shots on goal in 52 minutes of play.
The Minutemen finished with a 15-13 shot advantage and a 9-6 shot on goal advantage. UMass had a trio of Minutemen with two shots on goal as Matt Cence, Alec Hughes, and Michael Rojas put all their shots on target.
The Minutemen conclude their three-game homestand on Saturday as they resume conference play with a matchup against George Washington on Saturday. The Minutemen and Revolutionaries are set for a noon kickoff on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Alec Hughes (8)
Assisted By: Shane Velez
GOAL by UMA Hughes, Alec Assist by Velez, Shane.
08:42
Sydney Wathuta (1)
Assisted By: Carter Johnson , Sebastian Gebhart
GOAL by UVM Wathuta, Sydney Assist by Johnson, Carter and Gebhart, Sebastian.
16:19
