The University of Rhode Island men’s soccer split their conference matches on the road this week, stealing a 1-0 win from Loyola University Chicago before dropping a 3-0 defeat to Duquesne University.
Rhode Island traveled to play Loyola Chicago on Saturday afternoon, coming off their 0-0 draw against Bryant University on Oct. 1. The Rams were trying to keep a three-game unbeaten streak going and move over .500 in conference play on the season.
Both sides started quietly on offense with neither attempting a shot on goal through the first 22 minutes. The Ramblers, however, soon started to apply pressure which became the recurring theme of this match.
Loyola Chicago had a 17-3 advantage in shots and 5-1 advantage in shots on goal in the first half, yet they were unable to break through on the scoreboard and the score remained 0-0. The final opportunity for Loyola Chicago in this relentless half came in the final minute when fifth-year defender Michael Hong put a low shot off the right post.
“We usually talk about when you go on the road defensively, it’s a bend but don’t break mentality,” Elliott said. “We did bend a lot, there was a lot of bend but ultimately there was no break.”
Dating back to the first half, the Rams went 48 minutes of match play where they didn’t get a single shot off. However, they got an opportunity on the counter-attack with 14 minutes left in the match when fourth-year forward Isak Oystese made a run down the left side of the pitch. Oystese got a centering pass over to third-year forward Í ñigo Etxegarai, who snuck a low shot past the keeper and into the bottom right of the net to give URI a 1-0 lead in the 76th minute.
“I’m so glad that I could help the team,” Extegarai said. “In the last two games I’ve scored goals, I’ve been confident.”
This was Extegarai’s third goal of the season, which tied him for the team lead along with third-year midfielder Joan Sanchis. On just their second shot on goal of the match, Extegarai ensured that the Rams took advantage of one of the few opportunities they got.
“I feel like it was the only good chance that we had,” Extegarai said. “You might only have this one chance so you need to take advantage of it.”
Following the goal, the defense for the Rams held strong and were able to withstand the Ramblers attack, which had been applying pressure throughout the match. In the final 14 minutes, Loyola Chicago didn’t get a single shot off as Rhode Island secured a 1-0 win to move to 7-1-3 on the year.
“Loyola Chicago is a really tough place to go, not a lot of teams in the league get a good result out there,” Elliott said. “It feels good to go on the road and get three points at a really tough place.”
The Ramblers held a significant advantage in shots (23-4), shots on goal (7-2) and corner kicks (10-1), but with Rodrgiuez tying his season-high in saves with seven and earning an Atlantic 10 Player of the Week selection in the process, URI found a way to get the win. This was the second consecutive shutout for Rodriguez and his fifth in eight matches this season.
“[Edu] is probably one of the best goalkeepers in the country,” Elliott said. “He makes game-winning saves and game-winning plays.”
The Rams stayed on the road following the win seeking their third straight conference victory over Duquesne on Wednesday.
After a scoreless first half, Duquesne got a breakaway in the 62nd minute which caused fifth-year defender Isanaba Namuss è to commit a foul in the box and give the Dukes a penalty kick. As Rodriguez dove right, third-year forward Dakota Jonke put a low shot into the left side of the net to give Duquesne a 1-0 lead.
This opened the floodgates for the Dukes as they scored two more goals in the final 14 minutes on their way to a 3-0 victory to end the four-game unbeaten streak for the Rams, who fell to just their second loss of the season.
Looking ahead, Rhode Island will look to respond at home at 7 p.m. on Saturday when they take on Saint Louis University. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
