Drawn conclusion: Men’s soccer’s unbeaten streak goes on

Adam Stern
Sports Editor

With such increased expectations infused into VCU’s men’s soccer team this season, it wasn’t a feeling of fufillment but one of frustration that was in the air when the final whistle sounded in Saturday’s showdown with Hofstra.

There were no boisterous cheers, no tangible sense of accomplishment from the players and you could bet your mortgage on this: first-year head coach Dave Giffard wasn’t happy. Yes, the team’s 1-1 tie with the Pride – the squad’s fifth draw of the season and the third in conference play – was another golden opportunity to win a game in a close conference with little margin error.

But dig a little deeper and realize that VCU, once again, did something fundamental and essential for a squad that tasted the sourness of defeat in eight conference game last season: they avoided losing.

With the draw vs. Hofstra – who came in the game off three losses in the last four outings – the Rams have now extended their unbeaten streak to ten matches. If VCU had lost the game, the nine-game streak last seen at the school in 2003, when the squad went 17-5-0 and featured future pro players like current Chicago Fire player Gonzalo Segares. However with the draw, the Rams have now extended the streak to numbers not seen since the last millennium: 1998.

So despite the doom and gloom feeling that comes along with only drawing a match they should have won, don’t let Giffard fool you; somebody’s doing something right.

“The truth is we’re solid defensively when we defend from our forwards to our midfields to our backs, and when we do that, it is difficult to break us down and beat us,” Giffard said. “The transition for us now is we’re not playing well enough to now win those close matches.”

Although they certainly had their chances.

After going a goal down in the 30th minute off a header by Pride freshman midfielder Lukas Ahman, VCU responded with resiliency just two minutes later. Freshman forward Jason Johnson (Saint Anne, Jamaica/Manchester) received a pass right down the middle of the field from freshman midfielder Jose Carlos Castillo (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Centro Escolar El Roble) and turned his man before finishing a quick-fire strike to knot the score up at 1-1.

The Rams almost got a shock half-time lead when sophomore midfielder Alberto Fonseca’s (San Jose, Costa Rica) audacious shot attempt from just over the midfield stripe beat Pride goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone, but the shot landed a few feet wide of the net.

Even if they had snatched the lead, though, Giffard wasn’t impressed with the first-half effort.

“We looked like we were sleep walking through the first half,” Giffard said. “We were fortunate that they didn’t get a couple.”

The second half and overtime periods would see the teams attempt to snatch the victory from one another, though both squads saw their chances end in futility.

Johnson was the player most likely to win it – for either team – with good opportunities to bag his second and maybe even third of the match. The Jamaican international received extended minutes in the match due to sophomore striker – and usual starter – Yoram Mwila’s (Lusaka, Zambia/Akron) hamstring problem he picked up in Wednesday’s match vs. Old Dominion.

“It’s a good goal from Jason; I thought it was important obviously to pull the goal right back,” Giffard said. “He is a dangerous person you always have to be aware of.”

The Rams will look to continue their impressive unbeaten streak next week at William & Mary, and Giffard will continue looking for that cutting edge; the final piece to the puzzle.

“It’s not like we’re sitting hoping for ties; we’re dictating the game and trying to make it happen and try to break it down and score goals,” Giffard said. “But at the end of the day, there’s just not quite enough quality yet to always do so.”

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