Team moves into 4th in the conference
Patrick Agyemang scored the lone goal for the Rams in a two-game stretch last week. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
The University of Rhode Island men’s soccer team hit the road this week, battling to a scoreless draw at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) before fighting to a 1-1 draw in their first-ever meeting with the Loyola Chicago Ramblers.
The two ties saw Rhode Island take fourth place in the Atlantic 10 standings with just one conference match remaining. With the top eight teams advancing to the playoffs, and the top four teams hosting first round matches, two results on the road against Atlantic 10 opponents proved valuable for the Rams.
Following a thrilling 2-1 win over George Mason University on senior night, URI headed to Virginia with momentum on their side. Senior attacker Patrick Agyemang spoke on the team’s mentality going into a three-game road trip, and the importance of picking up results heading into the postseason.
“We know that we’re gonna have a tough time on the road, because [the games are] back-to-back and we’re not gonna be back home until Saturday,” Agyemang said. “We just know our mentality has to change, we have to [have] a professional mentality, and whatever it takes to get those three points, we’re gonna do.”
Rhode Island’s battle with VCU was a defensive performance that saw the Rams hit 13 shots to their opponents’ seven, with only three of those shots hitting the target. Neither keeper was called into action until late in the first half, as URI goalkeeper Max Hinke saved the lone shot on target in the 39th minute.
The second half was more of the same, with both keepers forced into only one save each, both in the 61st minute. VCU outshot URI 6-3 in the last 30 minutes, but neither team was able to put a shot on goal from the point as the game ended scoreless.
Sophomore midfielder Patrick Gryczewski led the way on offense with 3 shots, hitting the Rams’ only shot on goal. Defensively, Max Hinke’s two saves were enough to earn his third clean sheet on the year.
It was a quick turnaround for Rhode Island, who traveled to Chicago for their first-ever meeting with the Ramblers just six days later.
Loyola Chicago struck first just 15 minutes into the game, as Billy Hency hit a right-footed shot from inside the box to give the home side the 1-0 advantage. URI was unable to register a single shot throughout the first 45, as the Ramblers went into halftime with the lead.
Despite the lack of shots on goal, head coach Gareth Elliott wasn’t concerned about the attacking output for his team.
“We have a lot of offensive weapons, that has not been a concern for the majority of the season,” Elliot said. “Obviously we’d like to score a few more goals, but we know with the quality of the attacking players we have that we will create chances and score goals.”
Trailing on the road against a conference opponent, URI knew that a loss could be detrimental. Registering only four shots on target for the entire second half, Rhode Island eventually capitalized in the 76th minute.
Cian Purcell swung the ball into the box just 13 seconds after being brought on, finding the feet of Agyemang. Agyemang split two defenders and found the opening from the edge of the 6-yard box, directing the ball goalwards with his heel and leveling the score at one apiece for his seventh goal of the year.
The goal was Rhode Island’s only shot on target through the entire 90 minutes, but it was enough to do the job as the game ended 1-1.
According to Elliott, the main problem over the course of the regular season has been the defense, something that drastically improved in the last two games.
“The concern for us leading up to the George Mason game was [that] we were conceding too many goals,” Elliott said. “We have solidified some things defensively since then. Obviously, we conceded one [goal] against [George] Mason, got a shutout on the road against VCU, and then conceded one against a very good Loyola team on the road. So, we have stemmed the flow, so to speak, defensively.”
Rhode Island will close out their regular season at home on Saturday, as they prepare to host Atlantic 10 opponents Davidson at 7 p.m., looking to lock in a spot for the postseason.