NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's soccer team's season came to a close as the Camels fell to UMass Boston 2-0 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Saturday from Silfen Field.
UMass Boston started quickly, opening the scoring just two minutes into the contest. The Beacons earned a corner kick that was played short to Ryan Lima, who worked his way into the box and fired low to make it 1-0.
Conn responded with pressure, but the Camels' two best chances, from Marco Perugini (Medway, Mass.) and Shinya Frank (Menlo Park, Calif.) were blocked. With just under nine minutes remaining, UMass Boston doubled the lead.
The Beacons used a quick counter attack, culminating with a strike from Raphael Alves to make it 2-0. With just over a minute remaining, Conn nearly got on the board.
Max Haberman (San Diego, Calif.) laid off a nifty back heel pass to Max Weiss (Weston, Conn.) who had his shot stopped. Haberman picked up the rebound, firing a cross towards the back post, where Gavin Mpiana (Cape Town, South Africa) headed off the crossbar, the ball fell straight back to Mpiana who volleyed towards goal, with the shot striking the face of a Beacons defender and staying out as Conn trailed 2-0 at the break.
Casey Shea (Haworth, N.J.) came up with some big saves early in the second half to keep the deficit at two. Conn continued to push, looking to cut into the lead, but were unable to break through, ultimately falling 2-0.
Conn outshot UMass Boston 20-7, holding a 7-6 edge on shots on goal, and a 12-1 advantage on corner kicks.
Shea got the start in net, finishing with four saves. Perugini led Conn with three shots on goal, while Weiss tallied two on target.
JJ Devine picked up the win in goal, recording six saves. Alves and Lima both recorded one goal, while Nick Braganca and Rafael Gross each added an assist.
Conn's season comes to a close as the Camels finish the year with a 10-3-4 record and their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
