University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Dayton
Minutemen Host Dayton in Mid-Week Contest
October 08, 2024 | Men's Soccer
AMHERST, Mass. – Massachusetts (6-2-3, 2-1-0 A10) is set for a matchup with the reigning A-10 champions: Dayton (5-1-2, 1-0-1 A10) Wednesday afternoon at Rudd Field. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. with action streaming live on ESPN+.
Last Time Out The Minutemen are coming off a 4:0 victory over Saint Joseph's Saturday afternoon. UMass jumped out to a quick three goal lead, scoring three in the first 18 minutes of action. Ivan Vrh picked up his first tally of the year on the Minutemen's second goal, also assisting on Andrew Ortiz's goal to put the Minutemen up three. Layton Purchase and Aidan Kelly also scored for UMass in the victory.
Eyes on the Minutemen
UMass received votes in the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The recognition left the Minutemen just outside the top 25 rankings. UMass also clocked in at No. 23 in the NCAA Men's Soccer RPI this week.
Hughes Chasing Records
Alec Hughes currently stands second among All-Time goal scorers in program history (45), trailing only Jeff Deren '03 (48). Hughes leads the NCAA top goal scorer chart with 10 goals on the season and 21 points respectively. He is currently trailing recent Massachusetts Athletics Hall of Famer Jeff Deren on most goals scored (48) and total points in program history (113), with Hughes having 45 goals and 98 points.
Deren ('99-'03) was inducted into the Hall of Fame this past August, helping the Minutemen to Atlantic 10 regular season championships in 2000 and 2002 while also leading UMass to the 2001 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Deren was twice named an All-American (2001, 2002), Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year (2001, 2002) and an All-New England honoree (2001, 2002).
A Look at the Squad
UMass returns 16 players from last year's roster including Hughes and fellow graduate student Mike Willis.
Additionally, the Minutemen welcome nine newcomers featuring Dean Linden (Fr.), Sean Fernandez-Davila (Fr.), Joseph Bianco (Jr.), Johan Feilscher (Gr.), Kyle Stenzel (Gr.), Bilal Hersi (Gr.), Chris Giglio (Gr.), Layton Purchase (Gr.), and Oliver Akintade (Gr.).
Scouting Dayton
UMass meets with Dayton after a 2023 matchup that saw the Minutemen fall 3:1 to the Flyers. The Minutemen have lost four of their last five matchups with the Flyers. UMass has a 6-11-3 total record against Dayton.
Dayton posted a 8-7-6 record last season, going 3-1-4 in A10 play. The Flyers claimed the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship, besting three of the four top-seeded teams in the conference and earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Dayton comes into the match after a 7:1 victory against George Washington on Saturday. The Flyers have not lost since August 25th against Jacksonville.
