The University of Rhode Island men’s soccer team earned their first two Atlantic 10 Conference victories of the season with a 2-0 win over St. Bonaventure University on Saturday and a 6-1 victory over Duquesne University on Wednesday.
Nearly a year after their last A-10 win on Oct. 5, 2024, Rhody shut out the Bonnies to earn a road win. Both goals were scored in the second half, and the shot total was 21-7 in favor of the Rams.
Second-year goalkeeper William Synnestvedt recorded Rhody’s first shutout in 17 matches, making one stop. SBU third-year midfielder Callum Shillington forced a team save from the Rams in the 56th minute, as Rams third-year midfielder Tiago Barriguinha blocked a shot in close.
Just one minute after the Bonnies shot, first-year forward Kyler Vojvodic, who was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on Monday, sent a ball in to first-year midfielder Everson Goglia, who sent it into the back of the net for his first career goal.
In the final minute of play, second-year forward Theo Harris put the nail in the coffin with another goal to secure the Rams’ victory.
“ It was a good road win,” URI Head Coach Gareth Elliott said. “We went up there and defended well. I think we had some more chances and could have made it a little bit more comfortable for ourselves. It’s a tough place to play, and I’m proud of the boys.”
Securing its first two-game winning streak since Sept. 28, 2024, URI scored six goals on Wednesday for the first time since Oct. 10, 2023 in front of the Greek Night crowd of 1,540.
“ It’s huge to have a crowd like that here,” Elliott said. “[They] really were the 12th player on the field for us. They were great; hopefully they come back for a few more games.”
Two penalty-kick goals by Barriguinha and two tallies from fourth-year forward Mathias Taylor helped propel the Rams over the Dukes, who came into the match with four more wins than the Rams.
Synnestvedt once again got the start, making two saves in the game’s first 22 minutes to keep the score tied.
Duquesne fifth-year goalkeeper Diego Chavez picked up a yellow card inside the box, setting up Barriguinha’s first penalty goal, which he sent to the bottom left corner.
In the 57th minute, Barriguinha capitalized off of a Dukes handball in the box, this time placing his shot in the bottom right corner to give his team the 2-0 lead.
“ I play a bit with what [the goalkeeper] gives me, but I can’t really reveal my secrets,” Barriguinha said about his strategy on the penalty kicks. “But, yeah, it was great to help the team with two PKs.”
This broke the dam offensively, as Harris set up first-year midfielder Sinan Bruning for a tap-in goal just one minute later.
Rhody went without another goal until the 80th minute, when Taylor put two balls past Chavez in 31 seconds. Taylor’s first goal was unassisted, as he sent one into the bottom left corner. Goglia notched an assist on Taylor’s second goal, as Taylor got a foot on a ball in the air, striking it right under the crossbar.
Vojvodic finished the Rams’ scoring with an 83rd-minute goal, beating Chavez in a footrace before burying it in the back of the net.
“ Winning breeds confidence, right?” Elliott said. “And scoring goals breeds confidence. So, you can’t ask for much more than that. If you score six goals at home in a conference game, you’re going to be okay.”
Fourth-year Dukes forward Dakota Jonke kept Synnestvedt from collecting a second straight shutout, as he scored a goal in the 86th minute.
“ We didn’t start the season as we wanted, but we’re turning up when we need to,” Barriguinha said. “This is where we have to win games, and this is where we’re winning, and hopefully we keep it going.”
Following the win, Rhody improved to 2-1-1 in conference play and 3-6-3 overall. The Rams will travel to take on A-10 opponent Davidson College on Saturday at 6 p.m.
