After the men’s soccer team defeated Georgia State Wednesday night to claim its first conference victory of the season, Saturday night’s tangle with the Towson Tigers presented a tantalizing opportunity for the squad to start its first conference winning streak of the now almost-completed season.
Sitting dead last in the conference standings with only three games remaining, VCU came out and played like a team with nothing to lose. With high intensity and intricate interplay, the Rams dominated from start to finish on their way to winning 3-1 on the day.
“We moved the ball sharply from the start and that put them on their heels. That was the best stretch of play we’ve had this season,” said VCU head coach Tim O’Sullivan.
VCU’s intensity was apparent from the start and it took less than three minutes to pay off as the Rams scored on their first opportunity of the match. Left back Matthew Scott (Woodbridge/Osbourn Park) sent in a blistering cross that got knocked around the box before falling to midfielder Thomas Huepper (Olpe, Germany) who unleashed a ferocious shot from 25 yards out that whizzed past the goalie into the left side of the net.
VCU continued picking apart Towson’s defense with ease through the crafty work of center-midfielder Owusu Seykere (Ghana/Opoku Ware), who used his supreme quickness to facilitate quick passing exchanges and well-placed through balls which allowed for a very fluid style of offense.
The Rams continued to capitalize on opportunities and it was 2-0 before 12 minutes had been played. Midfielder/defender James Neighbour (Liphook, England) collected a loose ball around the top of the 18-yard box before smashing another long-distance shot past Towson goalie John Steele for his third goal of the season.
Neighbour was a constant threat during the entire first half and virtually monopolized midfield play along with Seykere. The England native used his large 200-pound frame to win nearly every header in his vicinity, something that may be seen as a minor detail, but was essential to the team’s first-half domination.
“James gives us someone who can hold the ball, lay it off and turn. His energy was very important for us, both upfront and in the back,” Seykere said.
The Rams defense held strong throughout the half and appeared to be the first to the ball in nearly every challenge and cross. Towson’s attack looked uninspired and the Tigers didn’t manage to get a shot off until 30 minutes into the match.
The intermission didn’t cause VCU to miss a beat as the Rams picked up right where they left off and found the back of the net just 120 seconds into the period.
Romario Blandon (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), who sent in a multitude of dangerous crosses throughout the night, nutmegged a Towson defender before sending in a ball that eventually found the feet of Seykere. The Ghanaian turned with the ball past a defender who then dispatched the ball into the corner of the net, giving the Rams a 3-1 lead-the second game in a row VCU notched three tallies on the score sheet.
Towson did enjoy a better spell of play in the second half, but still found goals hard to come by. The Tiger’s pulled a goal back when midfielder Stefan Froedert sent in an inch-perfect cross to awaiting striker Liam Maloney who glanced a header pass VCU goalkeeper Gabriel Rodriguez (Guatemala City, Guatamala), who was only forced into three saves on the night.
Towson striker Marc Mangione, who was coming off of a week that saw him selected as the NSCAA National Player of the Week and CAA player of the week after leading his team to victories over George Mason and ODU, was a non-factor in the game and only managed to get off one shot on goal the entire match.
“We came out and said we have to start the match right from the start, not at halftime. We did that, and that was the secret behind it,” Seykere said.
VCU will look to continue its two-match winning streak on Tuesday with a match at Old Dominion.