Spring Break
Men's soccer beats Harvard, 2-1
Matt Pavao
Issue date: 9/27/06 Section: Sports
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Rhode Island controlled the tempo of play, and outplayed the other team despite the close score. They outshot Harvard 19-10 but had 11 shots on goals compared to only four for Harvard. A late goal by Harvard made the final minutes tense, but ultimately they weren't able to come back from an 2-0 deficit.
"I was very pleased with the pace of the game," head coach John O'Connor said. "I feel like we could have had a few more goals in the first half, but overall I was happy with how they played."
The Rams scored first with two minutes left in the first half. The Harvard goalkeeper wasn't able to handle a long shot by URI as Crosby beat his defender to the ball and knocked in the rebound for his first goal of the year.
Rhode Island put the game away, 15 minutes into the second half on Tumicz's third goal of the year. Midfielder Geoff Cameron sent a long pass down the sidelines and Tumicz brought it into the goal, putting it by the keeper for what would prove to be the game winner.
Senior captain Jeffrey Gonsalves had several good scoring chances but came up short, barely missing on three shots. He had one last chance on a breakaway at the end of the game but he was tripped by the goalie who was given a yellow card for the foul.
Harvard finally got on the board with nine minutes left in the game when forward Charles Altchek took a pass that split the defense and knocked it by goal keeper Mark Sauter for the score.
"[Harvard] had five men up top but the team also doesn't always stay connected when they dominate," O'Connor said about the goal at the end of the game. "The six men up top keep attacking and the four defensemen lay back."
Except for the final goal, Sauter played very well in the match, making several great saves. A series of shots in the first half summarized his play in the game. He made a great play on a cross, jumping into a Harvard player and punching the ball out of the box to prevent a goal, but URI committed a handball at the top of the box giving Harvard a free kick. The free kick was well struck and hit the bottom of the crossbar, but Sauter was able to get his hands up and deflected the ball away from the net.
"Mark has been doing great," O'Connor said. "He is a class guy. He has really improved this year."
The stands were full of screaming young children wearing soccer jerseys and hitting spirit sticks together. The children attended the match as part of "Youth Soccer Month." Champions of different age groups from around the state were announced on the field at halftime.
With the win, the Rams evened their record at 3-3-3. The team will face off against LaSalle on Friday in Philadelphia as part of a four game road trip against conference opponents.
