Men’s soccer wins Senior Night thriller vs. Duquesne

The University of Rhode Island men’s soccer team defeated Duquesne University 2-1 in overtime for its final home game of the season this past Saturday at the Rhode Island Soccer Complex. Rhode Island finished the regular season 5-3-2 at home.

On the night of Halloween, Rhode Island had a few tricks up their sleeve. Just before the 18th minute senior Ryan Oakley lined up for a free kick just near the corner spot before unleashing a strike into the top right corner of the net for the early 1-0 lead. This was Oakley’s first goal of the season, but his final home game in a Rhode Island uniform was not in the books just yet. Rhode Island held Duquesne goalless until the 86th minute when Collin Phillips placed in the late equalizer.

The first half of overtime ended with a stalemate between the two sides. The match continued to go down to the wire until the final five minutes of play. With just around four minutes remaining, Oakley lined up for a corner kick that was at first blocked by a Duquesne defender, Oakley recovered the block ripping a cross along the far post where he found sophomore Tyler Dickson for the golden goal header. Sophomore goalkeeper Nils Leifhelm had four saves on five shots for the evening and earned his ninth win of the season. Oakley was named a Builder’s Surplus student-athlete of the week for his performance.

“Ryan Oakley was impressive,” head coach Gareth Elliott said. “His first goal of the season was an impressive one, but I believe his assist tonight topped the finish. For a senior playing that way on senior night it was great to see.”

The bigger picture impact of this victory is that it guaranteed Rhode Island a spot in the 2015 Atlantic-10 Championship as they now sit tied for third place in the conference standings.

“This was a great victory for us not just because it guaranteed us a spot in the A-10 Championship’s but it gives us extra confidence moving forward,” Elliott said. “Our guys gave a great effort. These seniors have accomplished a lot in their time here. I’m glad they were able to end their home careers here with a win.”  

The men’s soccer team has one remaining regular season match before the start of postseason play when they visit George Mason University this Saturday at 7 p.m.

“We are preparing with the postseason in mind for our match up with George Mason this week,” Elliott said. “We want to finish strong going into postseason play, but most importantly ensure we are manage our health and prepare for the push.”