Rams defeat UNCW in 1-0 shutout

VCU scored the only point in Friday night’s home game against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks for the Rams’ first Colonial Athletic Association victory.
In one stroke, VCU ended their four-game skid as they halted UNCW’s five-game winning streak.
Both teams took 10 shots-on-goal, but Andrew Dykstra (Woodbridge/Osbourn Park HS) played a notable game, saving all six of the Seahawks’ shots-on-goal throughout the night. It was his seventh career shutout and second shutout of the season.
Seahawks goalie Brad Knighton saved two shots, and a teammate obstructed VCU’s third shot-on-goal.
One of VCU’s own players was in the way of a shot-on-goal in the 38th minute of play when the ball was powerfully kicked through the crowd of players near the net.
In the 12th minute of the match, UNCW’s Tim Masters kicked a hard shot and nailed the goal post, almost scoring an early point for the Seahawks.
With less than fifteen minutes left in the scoreless first half, Fred Owusu Sekyere (Suame-Kusami, Ghana) was knocked to the ground while the game went on. He was injured but in the heat of the game, the players continued playing until the ball got worked to the middle of UNCW’s side of the field where he lay.
He was almost trampled but when the three players grappling over the ball got up against him, play stopped while a manager ran out onto the field to help Sekyere out.
Not even the referee noticed Sekyere could not lift himself off the turf until he reached his hand up to tap him.
A healed Sekyere returned in the second half to score the sole point of the match. The ball was first set in motion during the 71st minute by Thomas Weingartner (Munich, Germany) with a corner kick, then picked up by Sekyere who forced his shot into the goal at point-blank.
The team had strict control of the field Friday night, letting little get by from the Seahawks, but UNC Wilmington matched VCU’s abilities until the second half.
The Rams’ head coach Tim O’Sullivan said the reasons for Friday’s results were that the game “was so competitive. The level of competitiveness along with their training allowed them to open up on the field.”
He said it was the training leading up to this game which allowed VCU to manage the field, but attributes the competitiveness against UNCW which pushed the team forward to their win.
VCU now stands 1-0 in the conference and 3-5 for the season and will be traveling to Newark, Del., Friday, Sept. 29 to play their third CAA match of the season against University of Delaware.