Massachusetts Soccer Advances To Second Round Of The NCAA Tournament Over Evansville, 2-1

AMHERST, Mass. – Massachusetts (11-3-5, 5-2-2 A10) continued their quest in the NCAA Tournament, besting Evansville (11-7-3, 4-3-1 MVC) in a dynamic 2-1 finish at a stormy Rudd Field.

The win marks the Minutemen's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2007 when the team advanced all the way to the College Cup Final Four. UMass enters its third NCAA Tournament second round appearance in program history.

Alec Hughes struck first for the Minutemen, firing a free kick from just outside the box into the top-right shelf. The Glastonbury, Conn. native tallied a team-high seven shots: six of which on goal. The performance marked Hughes' 50th career goal in five seasons with UMass and his 15th of the season.

Andrew Ortiz netted the eventual game-winner, finishing his fifth score of the 2024 campaign off a centering pass from Oliver Akintade in the 60th minute to give the Minutemen a 2-0 lead.

Breaking Down the Action

UMass put on the pressure offensively, out-shooting Evansville 11-3 in shoots on goal.
The tightly contested teams played a close match, with the Aces holding Massachusetts to just three saves and four corners across the 60 minutes.
Massachuhsetts' Johan Feilscher notched two back-to-back shots for UMass to start off the match, forcing Michael Mroz to make his first save of the day.
UMass continued to dominate, with Feilscher and Hughes making shots nearing the midway point of the first half.
Soon after Hughes fired a kick that splashed directly into the right shelf, making it a 1-0 match in the 21st minute. The goal marked Hughes' 50th of his career.
The Minutemen continued to apply the pressure, with Oliver Akintade adding two shots of his own towards the 30th minute.
Tobias Bak answered back to grant Evansville's their first shot on goal, while Alex Geczy was able to make the stop.
The teams traded shots for the remainder of the first half, as the score remained 1-0 heading into the break.
The Aces' Jon Varela notched the first shot of the second half, while Akintade sounded back with his fourth shot of the match in the 51st minute.
UMass' pressure in Evansville's zone paid dividends, with Akintade finding Andrew Ortiz at the goal in the 60th minute– earning the Minutemen a 2-0 lead.
After Massachusetts notched three consecutive shots, an own goal on the defensive end got Evansville on board to make it a 2-1 match in the 71st minute.
The teams battled for the remaining 20 minutes of the match, but UMass' tight defensive efforts denied the Aces an equalizer– preserving the Minutemen's 2-1 lead as the final buzzer rang.

Up Next
The Minutemen travel to No. 6 Penn for the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 24th. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. with action streaming live on ESPN+.

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