Last season, the University of Rhode Island men’s soccer team lost their final match to Davidson College which knocked them out of playoff contention.
This season, the roles were reversed, with Rhode Island looking to play spoiler as Davidson seeked to clinch the regular season Atlantic 10 title.
Rhode Island traveled to Alumni Stadium in Davidson, North Carolina on Saturday afternoon for their final match of the season. Rhode Island was successfully able to play the spoiler role, coming out with a 2-0 win over the top team in the conference heading in.
It had been a disappointing year for the Rams, according to Head Coach Gareth Elliott. They came into this game without any chance at making postseason play. However, there was a lot at stake for Davidson, who just needed a win to clinch the regular season conference title.
“You have the first team in the conference playing the team second from bottom on the road, a lot of people probably wouldn’t have given us a chance,” Elliott said. “When you go on the road and beat the number one team in the league when they have everything to play for, it says a lot about the character of the team.”
After six minutes of fairly even play between the two sides to start this match, fourth-year midfielder Kevin Castaneda got past the Davidson defenders to set up a strike from just outside the box. His shot snuck past the keeper for his first goal of the season and gave Rhode Island an early 1-0 lead.
There was great importance for the Rams to get this early goal, as Elliott discussed how the offense was the cause of a lot of their troubles throughout the season, with this only being their ninth goal against Division I opponents.
“We really didn’t score enough goals throughout the season,” Elliott said. “Our issues definitely stemmed from not creating enough opportunities and putting the ball in the back of the net.”
Coming off the goal, Davidson came on strong and created an opportunity off a corner just a minute later, but the header from second-year midfielder Alonzo Clarke went just over the top crossbar.
There was only one shot on goal by either team the rest of the half following the goal from Castaneda. This came in the 26th minute, when Davidson got a corner that set up a shot from fourth-year midfielder Maddux Reece. Third-year goalkeeper Edu Rodriguez made the leaping save for Rhode Island, deflecting it over the net with his left hand to preserve the 1-0 lead.
The end of the first half was controlled by Davidson, as they had seven shots through minutes 25 to 40 while the Rams had zero. However, the only shot they were able to get on net was the one from Reece.
At the half, Davidson led in shots 10-8 and corner kicks 4-1, and shots on goal were tied at one. But, the key stat was the fact that Rhode Island went into the second half holding a 1-0 lead.
The Rams came out in the second half playing aggressively, as they had the first four shots in the half, including two shots on goal.
In the 50th minute, third-year midfielder Patrick Gryczewski had a free kick opportunity from the right wing, but his shot was saved by first-year goalkeeper Lucas Beltran. Then, a couple minutes later second-year defenseman Brett Schwab took a shot from just outside the box that Beltran made a leaping save on.
In the 60th minute, Rhode Island got their best opportunity since the goal from Castanada when they executed a set piece to create a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper just in front of the net for fourth-year defenseman Alberto Molina. However, Molina’s shot sailed over the crossbar and the score remained at 1-0.
A minute later, the Rams maintained the pressure when fourth-year forward Rafa Villanueva delivered a centering pass to third-year forward Íñigo Etxegarai to set up another shot on goal. Once again, Beltran was able to make a diving save for Davidson.
In the 71st minute, Etxegarai received a pass inside the box when he got taken down by a Davidson defender, resulting in a foul and a penalty kick. Third-year forward Brandon Bermingham slotted it in the top left corner of the net to make it 2-0.
Despite dealing with injuries through parts of the season, this was Bermingham’s team-leading sixth goal of the season. He found the back of the net in five of the final six matches in which he played.
Davidson did everything they could do to try and create opportunities down the stretch, but the Rhode Island back line continued to stay strong.
The final opportunity of the match for Davidson came in the 88th minute, when first-year midfielder Ben Minkel-Lacocoque found a way to split two Rhode Island defenders and put just the second shot on net of the day for the team. Rodriguez went down to a knee to make his second and final save of the day. This secured a ninth shutout in 16 matches for this Rams team this season, including shutouts in each of the final three matches.
“It was a great goalkeeping and defensive unit,” Elliott said. “I think nine shutouts might be the most I’ve had in over 20 years.”
Rhode Island was able to play keepaway in the final couple minutes of the match and locked up a 2-0 victory for their first road win of the season in their final match of the year.
“In what has been a challenging year, to send the seniors out on a positive note was good for everybody,” Elliott said.
The preparations for the offseason now begin for the Rams, with the first order of business being to figure out who will be returning and a part of the team next year, according to Coach Elliott. He made it clear that despite the difficult year, his expectations are still high for next season.
“I think we have a strong returning core and we’re anticipating them to hit the ground running next year along with the incoming class,” Elliott said. “I think we can get back to not just making the A-10 Tournament, but to win championships.”
Despite not qualifying for postseason play, the University of Rhode Island men’s soccer team can take solace in ending their season on a high note with an upset win in Davidson.