Agyemang scores twice, adds one assist in two-game stretch
Forward Patrick Gryczewski scored in the final 23 seconds to lift the Rams over defending A10 champions Saint Louis. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
The match isn’t over until the clock hits zero.
Looking to get back in the win column after losing their Atlantic 10 opener, the University of Rhode Island Men’s Soccer team moved to 5-1-5 on the year, defeating Saint Louis in a 3-2 thriller on Oct. 5 before picking up a 2-2 tie at La Salle on Saturday.
The Rams started off strong against St. Louis, but in the 89th minute, the Billikens came all the way back after trailing 2-0 at the half to tie it up. In the final minute of the match, a costly mistake from the Rams led to an own goal that knotted the contest up at 2-2. As the rain reached its highest intensity of the night, sophomore forward Patrick Gryczewski responded just seconds later, unleashing the deciding goal with just 10 seconds left and leaving the visitors in disbelief.
After the game, URI Head Coach Gareth Elliott said it was an ending unlike any other in his 10 seasons leading the program.
“It was a wild game,” Elliott said. “I haven’t seen too much like that.”
Gryczewski’s go-ahead goal was his third of the season, getting the assist from junior midfielder Kevin Castaneda on the outlet pass that set up the winning shot. Two of the Hartford transfer’s three scores have been game-winners for the Rams in his first season with the program.
“Most people would give up with 20 seconds left,” Gryczewski said. “I saw Kevin [Castaneda] kind of step up, so I said ‘you know what, we’re gonna go, we’re gonna risk it.’”
Rhody began the game with a sizable advantage after one half of play. Sophomore striker Isak Oystese struck first in the tenth minute with an assist from star senior forward Patrick Agyemang, marking the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year’s third goal of the season. Agyemang himself joined the party just over 10 minutes later, hitting his fourth goal of the year in four games to double the lead 2-0. Graduate midfielder and fellow A-10 All-Conference Preseason Team selection Edvin Akselsen also picked up the assist.
The Billikens flipped the script in the second half, putting pressure on Rhody late in the contest. The Rams gave up their first score in the 68th minute when Saint Louis’s CJ Coppolla evaded freshman goalkeeper Max Hinke and found the back of the net, cutting the advantage to 2-1. From there, both teams remained stagnant until the final minute as the elements continued to intensify.
The playing conditions made a big impact on the game, especially late, according to Elliott. At one point, visibility on the field was almost non-existent.
“It was wild,” he said. “The goal that they scored [late] was probably, in part, due to the conditions.”
Despite the unfavorable playing environment, a large contingent of Rhody fans filled the bleachers at the URI Soccer Complex until the final moments. The home crowd has given the team a boost all season long, with Elliott even calling them their “twelfth player.”
“Rhody Nation, I don’t think there’s any better fans, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “So many people still stuck around. I think I’d seen fans celebrating with our group in the corner when we scored our winning goal.”
The Rams hoped to keep the momentum going on Saturday when they traveled to take on the La Salle Explorers. Rhody went up first in the 58th minute with Agyemang’s fifth goal of the season, while sophomore defender/midfielder Cian Purcell picked up his first assist. Shortly after, La Salle’s Nigel Buckley tied it up 1-1 on a penalty kick. Agyemang’s strong week helped him earn A-10 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Moment’s after Buckley’s equalizer, junior forward Rafa Villanueva also hit the five-goal milestone in the 69th minute to take the lead, while Akselsen added another assist. But in a sequence of deja-vu, Buckley tied the game up again with about five minutes left, handing Rhody their fifth draw of the year.
Up next, the Rams host George Mason on Saturday during URI’s Alumni Weekend. Kickoff at the URI Soccer Complex is set for 7 p.m.