Go WEST young man (and NORTH)

[Kuiper]

Game of the Day in the SCIAC:

Occidental @ UMass Boston @9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern

Oxy is coming off a big win against MIT (3-0) and a close loss to Babson (2-1).  Hard to know what to make of UMass Boston.  They tied Salve Regina 0-0, which seems like a team below Babson, but then they also tied Babson 1-1.  I guess if you go by last season's UMass Boston record of 10-1-6 with only 9 goals conceded all season, two ties and only 1 goal conceded in the first two games is playing to form.  Sounds like a good test of where Oxy stands.  They capitalized on mistakes against MIT, but it doesn't sound like UMass Boston makes as many of those.  From an NPI perspective, Oxy really needs a win because, while a 2-1 loss @ Babson is nothing to hang your head about, this is the last chance for a non-SCIAC win that might constitute a "quality" win. They don't even play UC Santa Cruz this season.  With CMS losing both games in Texas and Redlands losing to Swarthmore yesterday, the chance that the SCIAC games are going to provide an NPI boost is diminishing.

UPDATE:  UMB 1 - Oxy 0

UMB came off the kickoff flying and throwing a midfield press that Oxy wasn't prepared to handle.  After a couple of chances in the first two minutes that bothered Oxy's GK, UMB scores on a cross in the 3rd minute.

UPDATE:  UMB 2 - Oxy 0

Oxy looks like a team that flew across the country and is playing its third straight game and is still on pacific time at 9 am in the morning.  Mentally, they may already be on the plane ride home.  They are getting blitzed.  UMB's Arruda scored despite being surrounded by 4 Oxy defenders in the box.

UPDATE:  UMB 3 - Oxy 0

PK in the 25th minute.  Emergency defending.  Oxy may need to bring in the bench and see if fresh legs make a difference

UPDATE: UMB 4 - Oxy 0

This is a warning against scheduling 3 games on your east coast trip. UMB
Scores another in the 60th minute.  If the benches haven't been fully emptied before, they will be now

FINALLY:  UMB 4 - Oxy 0