Mark Morris provides instant impact in return to UMass lineup

On Sept. 25 in a game versus Vermont, Massachusetts men’s soccer player Mark Morris made his long-awaited return for the Minutemen after missing five games with an injury. Three games later, the senior showed what UMass (2-10-1, 1-1-1 Atlantic 10) had been missing offensively, securing the first Minuteman hat trick for the program since 2002 in a 3-2 conference win over rival Rhode Island on Oct. 7. That same week, Morris played 105 out of 110 possible minutes in UMass’ 0-0 double-overtime draw against Saint Louis. In his first year as the coach of the Minutemen, Fran O’Leary knew what...