Shell shocked
A three-game winning streak had VCU sitting at the No. 16 spot in the NSCAA/Adidas poll going into a nonconference game with the Maryland Terrapins in College Park.
The Terps came into Saturday’s game ranked nine spots lower than the Rams (tied for 25th with University of Alabama at Birmingham), but cruised for most of the game.
From news sources
A three-game winning streak had VCU sitting at the No. 16 spot in the NSCAA/Adidas poll going into a nonconference game with the Maryland Terrapins in College Park.
The Terps came into Saturday’s game ranked nine spots lower than the Rams (tied for 25th with University of Alabama at Birmingham), but cruised for most of the game.
Maryland jumped ahead 2-0 early behind goals from forwards Jason Garey and Domenic Mediate and held on to win 2-1 despite playing 14 minutes with a man down.
Terrapins junior midfielder Michael Dello-Russo, who had already picked up a yellow card in the first half, argued his way into a red card in the 76th minute. It was the third of the game’s four bookings.
The Rams capitalized, scoring their only goal of the game while they had their one-man advantage.
Sophomore forward Dominic Oduro gathered a ball headed inside the 18-yard box by midfielder Hugh MacDonald and sent it dribbling past the Rams’ only goal of the game, gathering a headed ball from midfielder Hugh MacDonald and sent it dribbling by Maryland keeper Noah Parker with eight minutes remaining.
VCU came up empty on three more shot attempts in the game’s final minutes.
While the Rams fell to 9-4-1 overall, they remained 5-1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Assocation putting them in a tie for second place with James Madison as 5-2-1 Old Dominion leap-frogged both teams into first.
This is the Terrapins second straight win over a Top 25 team. Mediate score Maryland’s only goal in a shutout win over Pennsylvania last Wednesday.
Garey’s goal in the game’s 12th minute was the first score allowed by Rams keeper Saul Montero in nearly 288 minutes in goal.
In other CAA games:
James Madison 1, William & Mary 0: James Morsink scored the Dukes first and only goal in more than 100 minutes of play to give James Madison a shutout win over the Tribe. Morsink, the teams’ leading scorer, notched his ninth goal of the season in the 102nd minute of the game’s second overtime.
Hofstra 2, Towson 1: With the game knotted at 1 with a little less than seven minutes remaining, Pride midfielder Pablo Lara scored from 20 yards out on a direct kick he sent bending into the top corner of the net. The Tigers led 1-0 at halftime after forward Sebastian Haensel scored on a direct kick.
Old Dominion 2, George Mason 0: Monarchs leading scorer Kevon Harris poked in his own missed shot and Brian Kluckman finished scored his first goal of the season as the Monarchs won their 24 consecutive game at home, extending the Patriots losing streak to six games.
South Carolina 3, UNC Wilmington 1: Sebastian Lindholm scored his third goal of the season, Greg Reece tapped in one of his own, and Eric Szeszycki coneccted on a penalty kick as South Carolina cruised to a win over the Seahawks in their first meeting since 1984.
