The University of Rhode Island men’s soccer team is still looking for its first home win of the season, as the Rams went 0-1-1 in the first two games of their three-game homestand this week.
On Saturday night, Rhody opened up Atlantic 10 Conference play against fellow Rams from Fordham University with a 1-1 tie.
URI had just snapped a 10-match winless streak dating back to last season with a 2-1 victory over St. John’s University on Sept. 8, and this A-10 opener was its first home game since the Rams lost 3-1 against Providence College on Sept. 1.
Both teams struggled to create offensive opportunities through the first 20 minutes of action, as they combined for one shot on goal. The teams committed a combined eight fouls in that same time period, with Fordham committing three in a two-minute timeframe.
Then, in the 21st minute, 2024 A-10 Midfielder of the Year Fordham fourth-year Daniel D’Ippolito was positioned right next to the end of the Fordham bench and sent a lob into the middle of the penalty box. Sixth-year forward Luke Pompliano was able to leap up in the air and head the ball past the flat-footed Rhody first-year goalkeeper Lenno Schmidt to score his first goal of the year, giving Fordham a 1-0 lead.
D’Ippolito had a chance to extend Fordham’s lead to two at the end of the first half on a free kick following a foul by URI first-year forward Lou Forster with just five seconds left in the half. D’Ippolito bent the ball around the wall of four URI defenders and sent the ball toward the right goalpost, but this time Schmidt was able to dive across the net and punch the ball away before it crossed the goal line.
In the second half, Rhody switched from a more conservative play style, which involved a lot of passing back and forth between the defenders to give the attackers and midfielders a chance to reset into formation, to a more aggressive style.
“We talked about possessing with a purpose,” URI Head Coach Gareth Elliott said. “We just wanted to play forward a little bit quicker, take a few more chances going forward and not worry about us having way more possession than [Fordham].”
This change in play style helped URI’s second-year forward Theo Harris score the equalizer in the 75th minute with an assist from first-year Sebastian Berntsen’s lob into the penalty box. The ball went right under the arm of Fordham’s fifth-year goalkeeper Tristan Stephani as he dove for the save.
“I knew one [cross] was going to come,” Harris said. “It hits my head, and I’m confident in myself; I know it’s going to go on target at least, and that time I was able to get enough power on it.”
Both teams earned one point toward the conference standings with the 1-1 tie and are tied for third place.
Rhody looked to extend a two-game unbeaten streak as they hosted Brown University on Tuesday night, but were unable to as they were defeated 1-0.
The loss to Brown moved the Rams to 0-3 against Ocean State Rivals this season, with earlier losses to Bryant University and Providence by scores of 3-0 and 3-1, respectively.
Brown dominated Rhody offensively in the first half as it put up four shots compared to URI’s zero and three shots on goal compared to URI’s zero. The most glaring stat of the first half was a combined 17 fouls, with Rhody slightly leading 9-8. There were a total of 33 fouls called the entire game.
Third-year goalkeeper Caleb McNeil got the start over Schmidt for the Rams and recorded six saves while facing 10 shots. He was on pace for his first career clean sheet after allowing three goals in each of his two appearances this year, but a goal by first-year forward Mateo Pereyra in the 81st minute ended that chance to give Brown the 1-0 win. It was Pereyra’s first career goal.
In the other net, second-year Max Pfaffman made his first appearance of the year as he got the start over fourth-year Henrik Weiper. Pfaffman recorded his first career shutout, saving both of Rhody’s shots on goal.
The Rams will finish the third leg of their homestand on Saturday at noon against Loyola University Chicago.
“Saturday’s key,” Elliott said. “It’s our second home conference game. We need to get three points against Loyola Chicago.”
This will be Loyola Chicago’s first A-10 matchup of the season and URI’s second. Both teams will be coming off losses to rival in-state schools, so they will be looking to redeem themselves.
