Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Freshman midfielder Michael Daniel (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) scored the only goal of the match in the 61st minute to give the University of Southern Maine Huskies a 1-0 victory over the visiting University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons in Little East Conference men's soccer action in drizzling conditions Saturday afternoon at Hannaford Field.
The victory snapped a six-match losing streak for the Huskies, and improved their record to 2-8-0 overall and 1-2-0 in conference play. The Beacons, winless in their last four matches (0-3-1), fell to 2-5-2 overall and 0-3-0 in the conference.
The Huskies were awarded a free kick on the left side just outside the top of the 18-yard box. Daniel's struck the ball past the wall and inside the near post for his second goal of the season. The rookie midfielder has had the game-winning goal in each of the Huskies' two victories this season.
Southern Maine senior goalkeeper Jeremy Turner (Portland, Maine/Deering) posted four saves, all coming in the first half, to earn his second shutout of the season. Sophomore Bryce Menard (Randolph, Mass.) recorded four saves for UMass Boston.
The match was played primarily between the two 18-yard boxes as both sides defended well. Southern Maine had a dangerous opportunity in the opening minute, but sophomore Mazen Aljari's (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) shot went wide to the left. UMass Boston had a pair of chances midway through the opening half, but Turner stopped shots from senior Brian Sanz (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Framingham) and sophomore Kelvin Martinez (East Boston, Mass.) to keep the match scoreless.
Southern Maine held a 9-6 advantage in shots and a 4-2 margin in corner kicks over the 90 minutes of play. USM held the Beacons without a shot on goal in the second half.
The Huskies are back in action on Wednesday (5:00 p.m.) when they travel to Maine Maritime Academy for a non-conference match. The Beacons will host Newbury College for a non-conference match on Monday (3:30 p.m.).
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