Men's Soccer Claims First Conference Win in 2-1 Win over Denver

Amherst, Mass. -- Massachusetts (5-3-4, 1-1-0 Summit) secured its first Summit League victory of the 2025 campaign on Saturday, besting Denver (5-6-0, 1-1-0 Summit) 2-1 in a 2024 Elite Eight rematch.

Magnús Ingi Halldórsson netted his first career goal in the first half, giving UMass a 1-0 advantage. Matt Cence doubled the Minutemen lead late in the second half. Despite surrendering a goal in the closing moments to Denver while playing nine on ten, Massachusetts was able to close out the 2-1 victory at home.

Breaking Down the Action

The Minutemen opened the game controlling much of the ball in the opening minutes.
Denver earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 10th and 11th minute but were unable to capitalize.
Geczy made his first save of the night in the 12th minute stopping an attempt from Grand Lund.
Looking to put the Minutemen on the board, a shot by Shane Velez narrowly missed high in the 28th minute.
Halldorson answered for Umass and found the back of the net in the 30th minute to give the Minutemen a 1-0 advantage.
Denver looked for a quick response with back-to-back attempts but were unable to convert.
A save by Geczy in the 39th minute kept the Minutemen ahead.
Geczy opened the second half with a save to preserve the lead.
Massachusetts earned their first corner of the match in the 53rd minute but came up empty.
Cence doubled the Massachusetts lead with a strike, making it 2-0 in the 86th minute.
The Pioneers Erik Collins, recorded a goal in the 87th minute to cut the deficit but, the Minutemen held on for the victory.

Up Next:
Umass hits the road and face Omaha on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET with action streaming live on the Summit League Network.

Scoreboard