Minutemen Set to Battle #3 Denver in NCAA Elite Eight

University of Massachusetts Men's Soccer Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts at #3 Denver (NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals)
Date \| Time	Saturday, Dec. 7 \| 3:00 p.m. ET
Location	Denver, Colo.
Twitter	@UMassMSoccer
Instagram	UMass Men's Soccer
Facebook	UMass Men's Soccer

AMHERST, Mass. – Massachusetts (13-3-5, 5-2-1 A10) is set for an NCAA Elite Eight matchup with #3 Denver (14-3-4, 8-3-1 Summit) Saturday afternoon in Denver, Colo. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. ET with action streaming live on ESPN+. The winning team will advance to the College Cup and face the winner of #1 Ohio State/#8 Wake Forest.

Last Time Out
The Minutemen rattled off their second straight upset victory, handing #11 Virginia a 1-0 loss Saturday evening. Matt Fordham scored the lone goal of the match in the 72^nd minute, after he sent a shot that deflected off a Virginia defender into the goal. Alex Geczy recorded his 10^th clean sheet of the season, his second in a row against a top-15 ranked opponent, tying the all-time program record for shutouts in a single season. The Minutemen held the Cavaliers to just three shots on goal in the match, holding strong to punch a ticket to the Elite Eight.

Hughes Makes History
Alec Hughes broke the record for All-Time goals scored in program history, passing Jeff Deren's ('03) record of 48, scoring a brace on the road against St. Bonaventure on Nov. 2. Hughes has netted 16 goals on the season and tallied one assist, good for 33 total points on the 2024 campaign and 51 goals over his five-year career. He currently trails recent Massachusetts Athletics Hall of Famer Jeff Deren on total points in program history (113), with Hughes having 110 points. The Glastonbury, Conn. native made Atlantic 10 history this season, becoming the first player in conference history to earn A-10 Offensive Player of the Year three years in a row.

Deren ('99-'03) was announced as an inductee into the Hall of Fame this past August, helping the Minutemen to Atlantic 10 regular season championships in 2000 and 2002 while also leading UMass to the 2001 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Deren was twice named an All-American (2001, 2002), Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year (2001, 2002) and an All-New England honoree (2001, 2002).

Masterclass Defending
Alex Geczy tallied his 10th clean sheet of the season in Sunday's victory over #11 Virginia, saving three shots on the evening. The Minutemen's back line has elevated its play to an even higher level in the month of November, allowing just two goals in five games.

A Look at the Squad
UMass returns 16 players from last year's roster including Hughes and fellow graduate student Mike Willis.

Additionally, the Minutemen welcome eight newcomers featuring Dean Linden (Fr.), Sean Fernandez-Davila (Fr.), Joseph Bianco (Jr.), Johan Feilscher (Gr.), Kyle Stenzel (Gr.), Chris Giglio (Gr.), Layton Purchase (Gr.), and Oliver Akintade(Gr.).

Scouting Denver
UMass meets Denver for the first time in program history. The Pioneers are coming off a 1-0 victory over #14 Indiana in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

UVA posted an 14-3-4 record in 2024 thus far, going 8-3-1 in Summit League play. Denver lost in the first round of the Summit League tournament, falling 2-1 to Kansas City. The Pioneers earned the #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, granting them a first-round bye before beating Gardner Webb 3-0 in the second round, and #14 Indiana 1-0 in the Sweet Sixteen.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Oliver Akintade

Joseph Bianco

Johan Feilscher

Sean Fernandez-Davila

Matt Fordham

Alex Geczy

Chris Giglio

Alec Hughes

Dean Linden

Layton Purchase

Kyle Stenzel

Mike Willis

Scoreboard

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