When the final seconds finally ticked off the clock, UMass forward Bryan Hogan collapsed to the ground in shock. The Minutemen had upset the No. 1 team in the country on their home field.
UMass scored a Boston sweep in the NCAA men's soccer tournament, upsetting Boston College (after a win over Boston University) in the second round, 2-1, at the Newton Campus Soccer Field.
"They just beat us," BC head coach Ed Kelly said. "They deserved the victory. Congratulations to them, they were the better team on the night."
The game-winner came with just over five minutes to play and the game tied, 1-1. The Minutemen set up for their 11th corner kick of the game and fifth of the second half. Douglas Rappaport dropped a perfectly placed ball to the far post, eluding the BC defense and landing in space, where Mike Desantis knocked the ball into the net for a 2-1 UMass lead.
"We've scored so many on set-piece corner kicks." Desantis said. "Doug (Rappaport) put a beautiful ball to the back-post and as the back post runner I just tapped it, ran through the ball, and made sure it went in."
That set up a frantic finish, in which the Eagles pushed up their defense in desperation for the final five minutes, only to be turned away from a very sound UMass squad.
An overflowing crowd of thousands rooting for both teams braved the elements on what was a chilly night in Boston. The weather did not seem to bother the Minutemen, who practice outside in February. The Eagles also entered the game without two key starters, midfielder Reuben Ayarna and back Jamie Melas, who were both lost for the season to injury during the ACC championship.
BC was able to establish the tempo early in the game and got on the board just under 20 minutes into the first half.
At 17:14, Alejandro Bedoya fired a quick turnaround shot just outside the 18-yard box. The ball deflected off a UMass defender early and got by UMass goalkeeper Zach Simmons to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead, which was the score at halftime.
2008 Woodie Awards
