Men’s Soccer falls to Eagles, tops Highlanders

Men’s Soccer kicked off the season with an even record in two home games, as the Rams fell to Georgia Southern University 2-0 but rallied two days later to top Radford University 3-0 at Sports Backers Stadium.

Radford

Sunday afternoon’s in-state matchup pitted the Rams against the Radford Highlanders. After a scoreless first half, VCU netted three goals in the latter 45 minutes to secure victory. The Black and Gold managed five shots on goal, while doubling Radford’s overall shot total of seven with 14 on the home side. Highlander players had only two shots on goal, with VCU sophomore goalkeeper Mario Sequeria saving both attempts.

Senior midfielder Joseph Gonnella scored the first goal in the 49th minute, breaking the tie and giving VCU the lead with an assist from junior forward Biska Biyombo. Senior midfielder Eli Lockaby followed up with a score in the 82nd minute, and sophomore forward Jared Greene netted a third goal just 20 seconds later. All three players notched their first goals of the season, and Gonnella led the way for the Black and Gold with four total shots, two on goal.

Junior midfielders Travis Cooke and Fortia Munts added assists, tallying their first statistics of the 2018 season. The Rams scored their final two goals within the last ten minutes of play, extending their lead and setting the victory in stone.

Georgia Southern

Friday evening’s match found VCU kicking their 2018 fall season off against the Georgia Southern Eagles. The Eagles scored a goal in both halves of the match to shut out the Black and Gold by a score of 2-0. Despite the scoreline, Sequeria played solidly in net, kicking off his season with three saves.

Junior midfielders Cooke and Siad Haji proved to be standouts for the Rams. Cooke led the home team with three shots while Haji added a pair of scoring opportunities, coming close both times. Cooke’s 24th minute opportunity was stonewalled by Georgia Southern freshman goalkeeper Jokull Blaengsson, as were back-to-back shots in the 65th minute by Cooke and senior midfielder Peter Pearson.

Blaengsson topped another VCU breakaway as the first half clock wound down, preserving the Eagles’ 1-0 lead as the game entered halftime. Three other Rams contributed one shot apiece, but VCU struggled to match the Eagles for shots, finishing down 13-8 in attempts. The Black and Gold squad rallied for several attempts on goal late in the match, but were denied by a misplaced shot and a strong Eagles defense.

Next up, VCU will off against the Temple University Owls on Friday, Aug. 31, and Santa Clara University on Sunday, Sept. 2, with both games kicking off at 7 p.m. at Sports Backers.

Adam Cheek Staff Writer