Box Score WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Sophomore Justin Jensen (Wethersfield) and freshman Dimi Dalardha (Hampton) scored 16 minutes apart and sophomore keeper Ryan Murphy (Cromwell) made seven saves as the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team knocked the University of Massachusetts Boston from the unbeaten ranks with a 2-1 Little East Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
Eastern (5-7-1, 3-2-0 LEC) stopped a three-game losing streak with the win over two-time defending LEC playoff champion UMass (12-1-1, 4-1-0 LEC), ranked first in the NSCAA New England ratings and No. 4 nationally. Eastern had entered play 0-4-0 against teams ranked in this week's New England ratings while the match was only UMass's second against a ranked team, the Beacons dropping to 0-1-1.
Averaging just under four goals per match this year with nine shutouts to their credit, the Beacons allowed more than one goal for only the second time this year.
Trailing 2-0, UMass finally got one past Murphy with just under five minutes left -- slicing the deficit in half – when sophomore Denis Martinez' attempt in the box deflected inside the far post. The visitors had the ball in Eastern's offensive third several times following the goal but managed only one shot when the fourth of senior Edmilson Barros' four tries on the afternoon sailed wide.
Jensen, last year's third-leading scorer as a freshman with 14 points, beat UMass freshman keeper Omar Castro-Dreher from the left side of the box for his first goal of the year on a relay from junior Xavier Doran (Hebron) to put the Warriors up for good in the 21st minute. Jensen had carried up the left flank and worked a give & go with Doran. Jensen took the return pass and sent a soft shot inside the left post from close range.
Less than 16 minutes later, Dalardha scored his second goal of the year. Freshman Griffin Luczek (Lee, NH), inserted into the match just two minutes earlier, sent the team's fourth corner kick from the left side through the box, where freshman Jackson Toomey (Willington) tracked it down. Toomey sent the ball back in, where senior back Emmanuel Caicedo (Manchester) tried unsuccessfully to get a foot on it. The ball also bounced over the foot of Doran, toward the left post, where Dalardha tucked it in to provide the Warriors with a decisive insurance goal.
The Beacons put eight of their 23 shots on net, forcing Murphy to made a handful of sparkling ones and to come off his line to break up numerous opportunities that limited UMB to just one goal.
Ten minutes after Jensen put the Warriors up, Barros lined up a shot which escaped the dive of Murphy but sailed just wide right. Minutes later Barros set up 2015 LEC Rookie-of-the-Year Mohamed Kenawy, but the sophomore's volley in space carried wide right.
With the Warriors content to play defense in the second half, UMass collected 11 shots, but Murphy came through with four saves. His best kept his shutout intact with 15 minutes left when a long, perfectly-placed cross from the left found the head freshman Destin Pierrot unmarked from 12 yards, but Murphy left his feet to grab the shot at the right post.
Castro-Dreher made three saves in his first career loss as Eastern improved to 15-1-1 against UMB in the last 17 meetings.
Eastern hosts Trinity College Wednesday at 3 p.m. in a non-conference match.
