AMHERST — The UMass men’s soccer team kept its home unbeaten streak alive with a 2-1 victory over Vermont, Tuesday at Rudd Field.
The Minutemen improved to 7-2-2 with the win, while the Catamounts fell to 6-5.
Davis Smith and Alex DeSantis led the way for UMass, scoring goals within three minutes of each other in the second half.
Vermont took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute with a goal from junior forward Trevor Colazzo, and kept UMass from creating scoring opportunities thanks to its speed on defense.
Shots on goal were an even 4-4 through the first 45 minutes of the game, but the Catamounts were dictating the tempo.
The second half started in a similar fashion before Smith scored in the 77th minute. A broken play resulted in a breakaway as the freshman forward netted the goal in the top-right corner. In the 79th minute, DeSantis netted a free kick to give the Minutemen the lead.
“We upped our energy level, upped our commitment level in the second half, and we were more engaged to where we won some more ball,” UMass head coach Fran O’Leary said.
UMass lost 3-2 to Vermont last season when the Catamounts were ranked No. 20 in the nation.
“They’re a very good team, they’re in the NCAA tournament, and for us to get a result like this one is very pleasing,” O’Leary said.
Tuesday’s win extended UMass’ home unbeaten streak to seven (6-0-1) games as it finished nonconference play.
UMass hosts Duquesne on Saturday.