Spring Break
URI men's soccer splits pair of games on road
Ryan Sullivan
Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: Sports
10/23/08 - The University of Rhode Island men's soccer team had an overtime victory over the Duquesne University Dukes Friday night, followed by a tough loss to St. Bonaventure University on Sunday afternoon.
Head coach John O'Connor said the victory Friday night was an important win for the season. "This game really showed the character of our team," he said.
Rhode Island sophomore Dwayne Williams scored his third goal of the season, propelling the Rams to the 3-2 overtime win over the Dukes.
Williams' game-winning goal was his third of the season.
After a scoreless first half, URI got on the board first thanks to freshman Erkko Puranen's goal in the 61st minute.
The Rams would later take a 2-0 lead in the 75th minute after senior Kedan Crosby bagged a goal. Crosby's goal was his second on the season.
URI appeared to have the game in hand with a two-goal lead with just under six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game, but in the 84th minute, Duquesne's Stefan Lundberg got the Dukes on the board, cutting the Rams' advantage in half (2-1).
Five minutes later, Duquesne tied the game at two goals, sending the game into overtime.
"The Dukes are a tough, physical team," O'Connor said. "They worked us and forced their way right back into the game."
In the overtime period, Williams netted the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute, securing the victory for the Rams.
"The team overall had some mental lapses which we need to work on and focus on making better decisions through the entire game," O'Connor said.
With the victory, Rhode Island improved to 6-4-1 (2-0-0 Atlantic 10) while Duquesne drops to 5-5-3 (1-2-0 Atlantic 10).
But Sunday, URI changed their record after dropping a tough game against St. Bonaventure University (1-0).
The loss to St. Bonaventure was Rhody's first Atlantic 10 defeat of the season, while the Bonnies picked up their first conference victory of their season.
Head coach John O'Connor said the victory Friday night was an important win for the season. "This game really showed the character of our team," he said.
Rhode Island sophomore Dwayne Williams scored his third goal of the season, propelling the Rams to the 3-2 overtime win over the Dukes.
Williams' game-winning goal was his third of the season.
After a scoreless first half, URI got on the board first thanks to freshman Erkko Puranen's goal in the 61st minute.
The Rams would later take a 2-0 lead in the 75th minute after senior Kedan Crosby bagged a goal. Crosby's goal was his second on the season.
URI appeared to have the game in hand with a two-goal lead with just under six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game, but in the 84th minute, Duquesne's Stefan Lundberg got the Dukes on the board, cutting the Rams' advantage in half (2-1).
Five minutes later, Duquesne tied the game at two goals, sending the game into overtime.
"The Dukes are a tough, physical team," O'Connor said. "They worked us and forced their way right back into the game."
In the overtime period, Williams netted the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute, securing the victory for the Rams.
"The team overall had some mental lapses which we need to work on and focus on making better decisions through the entire game," O'Connor said.
With the victory, Rhode Island improved to 6-4-1 (2-0-0 Atlantic 10) while Duquesne drops to 5-5-3 (1-2-0 Atlantic 10).
But Sunday, URI changed their record after dropping a tough game against St. Bonaventure University (1-0).
The loss to St. Bonaventure was Rhody's first Atlantic 10 defeat of the season, while the Bonnies picked up their first conference victory of their season.
