PROVIDENCE, R.I. - There were a pair of upsets in the opening round of the 2025 Little East Conference (LEC) Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament, as No. 5 UMass Dartmouth and No. 6 Rhode Island College advanced on penalties past Eastern Connecticut State University and University of Southern Maine, respectively.
 
No. Rhode Island College 1, No. 3 Southern Maine 1 - Box Score
RIC advanced on PKS, 3-1

Senior forward Izaiah Karweh (Providence, R.I.) scored the Anchormen's lone regulation goal as No. 6 Rhode Island College upset No. 3 Southern Maine, 1-1 (3-1 penalties), in first round action of the 2025 Little East Men's Soccer Championship played at Hannaford Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
THE BASICS
No. 6 Rhode Island College 1, No. 3 Southern Maine 1
Rhode Island College (4-7-7)
Southern Maine (5-4-10)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Anchormen were able to get into USM's defensive third for a corner kick in the 23rd minute, which was converted by Karweh on a cross from freshman midfielder Jason Liang (Lincoln, R.I.).
 
• RIC was able to stop multiple attacks from the hosts and would lead, 1-0, heading into the halftime break.
 
• USM tied tie the match, 1-1, in the 71st minute as a shot ricocheted off a RIC defender and into the back of the net.
 
• After 90 minutes, it remained a tie, which sent the game to two 10-minute overtime periods in which neither side found the golden goal and sent the contest to be decided on penalty kicks.

• After USM missed the first penalty, junior defender Alijah Nunes (Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago) put the Anchormen up 1-0. The Huskies kicked their second one over the bar as well, leading to another RIC converted penalty by junior midfielder Donovan Battle (Hudson, Mass.). Liang sealed the win with a goal on the visitor's third attempt.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, No. 6 Rhode Island College advances to face No. 2-seeded UMass Boston in the semifinals of the 2025 Little East Men's Soccer Championship on Wednesday, Nov. 5 (noon). It will be a rematch of last season's semifinal in which RIC advanced on penalty kicks.
 
No. 4 UMass Dartmouth 0, No. 5 Eastern Connecticut 0 - Box Score
UMass Dartmouth advances on PKs, 4-3
 
In a thrilling penalty shootout victory, the UMass Dartmouth men's soccer team defeated Eastern Connecticut State University in the First Round of the Little East Conference (LEC) Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Corsairs advance to the LEC Semifinals for the first time since 2013 with the 4-3 penalty shootout win over the Warriors and move to 7-8-4 overall on the season.
 
Eastern Connecticut State generated quick attacking chances in the opening half forcing an early save by senior goalkeeper Ethan Donahue. Sophomore midfielder Delano Costa fired the first strike on frame for the Corsairs in the 38^th minute of action, but Warriors goalkeeper Jack Harmon was able to produce the stop. The Warriors tacked on three late shots featuring a save by Donahue to keep the score knotted up at 0-0 heading into halftime.
 
The home team came out strong to start the second half ripping three shots to force two crucial save by Donahue in the opening five minutes of action, respectively. Senior Nick Mahjoory got UMass Dartmouth's offense going with his first strike on target that Harmon stopped at the 57:50 mark. Midway through the half, first year Nick Scanlon added another strike on frame for the Corsairs followed by a shot from senior captain Mario Rodriguez. Both teams exchanged shots in closing minutes of play, but the contest remained scoreless in regulation to send it into overtime.
 
The Warriors produced two late scoring opportunities in the first overtime period including a shot from Niall O'Brien that redirected off the woodwork. In the second overtime, Donahue tallied another two critical saves for the Corsairs. Scanlon posted a late strike that Harmon collected to force the game to be decided in a penalty shootout.
 
Rodriguez stepped up to take the opening penalty kick for UMass Dartmouth and buried the ball into the back of the net to tie the shootout at 1-1. Sophomore Derrick Camara and Scanlon made both of their penalty kicks to keep the score level at 3-3. After Donahue made a diving save to deny Caiden Hettrick-Rivera's shot, Mahjoory gave UMass Dartmouth 4-3 lead with his good penalty kick. The Corsairs sealed their postseason win with a miss by Lex Edawards to defeat the Warriors by a 4-3 margin in a penalty shootout.
 
Rodriguez, Scanlon, and sophomore Daniel Jordan all finished the game with two shots apiece. In net, Donahue registered nine total saves to secure his third shutout win of the season to improve to a 6-6-3 record.
 
It marks the first postseason win for UMass Dartmouth since the 2013 campaign when the Corsairs defeated Keene State, 3-1, on November 9. Additionally, it marks the first-ever postseason penalty shootout win in program history.
 
The Corsairs will travel to No. 1 seeded Western Connecticut State University for the LEC Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 5 slated for a 6:00 p.m. start time.