BOSTON – Second-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston bounced back to tie the game twice against third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University – the first time forcing overtime with six minutes left in regulation – and because of that, there will be a new Little East Conference men's soccer champion in 2022.
 
In Thursday's semifinals, UMass Boston (10-5-3) erased 2-1 and 3-2 deficits --  getting the tying and the winning goals in overtime from junior Josh DeAlmeida -- to eliminate defending champion Eastern (12-6-2), 4-3, and move into its first final since capturing three straight championships between 2014 and 2016. The Beacons have never lost in the title game.
 
UMass Boston's timing was everything Thursday. The first of its goals came late in the first half, the second coming late in regulation and the third at the tail-end of the first ten-minute overtime period.
 
UMass, which ended a three-game (0-2-1) losing streak, meets the winner of Thursday's late semifinals game between regular-season champ and top-seeded Western Connecticut State University and fourth-seeded Rhode Island College in Saturday's championship game at the site of the highest remaining seed.
 
While the seven combined goals equal the second-most between the teams in the 37-game series history – behind only the nine scored in UMass Boston's 7-2 LEC tournament win in 2016 -- junior keepers Dylan Pallanck (Willington) of Eastern and Oasim El-Ashkar of UMass Boston each made a number of standout saves that prevented either team from pulling away.
 
Eastern appeared headed to its eighth road win against a single loss and two ties before UMass freshman Ryan Lima tied the match, 2-2 with six minutes left in regulation. Eastern senior Andres Mayuri (West Hartford), who had given Eastern a 2-1 lead with ten minutes left in regulation, had also pushed the Warriors into their second lead, 3-2, lead, however, five minutes into the 20-minute overtime session by scoring his second goal of the match, before DeAlmeida recorded the tying goal three minutes later on a header off sophomore Diego Gisholt's corner kick, and the game-winner with under five minutes left.
 
One of the biggest of El-Ashkar's six saves preserved a 3-3 tie when he robbed Eastern first-year player Lex Edwards (Milford) with two seconds left in the first ten-minute overtime session.
 
As he did in Tuesday's 1-0 first-round home win over sixth-seeded Keene State College, Pallanck came up big in the early moments of the game to keep the gave scoreless, when he turned away DeAlmeida seven minutes into play. Pallanck finished with a season-high seven saves, five coming in the second period.
 
Eastern's early penalty-kick goal against Keene on Tuesday stood up, and UMass Boston used an identical goal by freshman Nick Braganca to break a scoreless tie with eight minutes left in the first half. With Pallanck and senior defender Jared Caroline (South Windsor) attempting to break up a UMB scoring bid in the box, Pallanck was given a yellow card and the Beacons given a penalty kick, which Braganca neatly deposited inside the right post for the team's fourth PK in as many tries this year.
 
First-year player Caiden Hettrick-Rivera (Portland) erased UMB's only lead (until the game-winner) with his second goal of the season seven minutes into the second half. Hettrick-Rivera converted the rebound of a shot by first-year player Cayden Boukus (Mansfield) that was saved by El-Ashkar.

Eastern caught a break when a potential go-ahead UMB goal with just over eight minutes left in overtime was nullified due to a Beacon foul, but the good fortune lasted less than four minutes before DeAlmeida connected for his team-leading ninth goal for what proved to be the winning goal with 4:56 left.
 
The Warriors had brought a four-game unbeaten (3-0-1) streak into the season against UMass Boston, which ended the run by winning the regular-season decision, 3-1, at Eastern Sept. 17, in the conference opener for both schools. The win over Keene was Eastern's fourth straight and eighth in ten games, both losses in that straight 1-0 decision against defending national champion Connecticut College on the road and at home against nationally-ranked Babson College.
 
Eastern had captured its sixth LEC playoff title a year ago with a 2-1 home win over third-seeded Western Connecticut, which had eliminated UMass Boston, 1-0, in the semifinals.