Men’s soccer surges through conference play

Nile McNair, Contributing Writer

Men’s soccer has made up for its 1-4 start to the season with a strong start to conference play, dropping only one game.

The Rams were 4-0 in Atlantic 10 games before falling to Rhode Island 2-1 on the road Saturday. Heading into the final A-10 match of the season, the Rams are 5-1-1. Nonetheless, the fast start in conference play has given the Rams a newfound belief in what they can accomplish this season.

“As a team, of course, the goal is to win the A-10,” junior forward Jared Greene said. “I think we’re easily one of the best teams in the conference, so that should be in our grasp.” 

Recently, VCU had to find a way to increase goals and win close games. 

“We’ve been able to find ways to score goals in conference,” redshirt-senior midfielder Myles Brown said. “Out of conference we’ve been struggling to find goals, but now that we’ve been playing in the A-10 we’ve been able to put some numbers on the board.” 

VCU’s play style sets them apart from their competition. Brown said coach Dave Giffard instills this style in practice, and it showcases itself on game day.

“How we execute, our team is really a possession-based team,” Greene said. “The more you have the ball the more chances you have to score. So the way we keep possession and the way we move the ball with purpose definitely gives us an edge on teams.”

VCU has been battle tested throughout the season, as the team has already played in five overtime games this season. 

However these close battles, Greene said, have made him and his teammates more like brothers, and Brown agreed. 

“I’ve been a part of other collegiate teams ’cause I just transferred here, and this is the closest team I’ve been on,” Brown said. “A lot of people are very diverse and from different countries and cultures, and I feel like we all accept that.”

The Rams will travel to George Mason on Nov. 2 and play the Patriots at 7 p.m.