RICHMOND, Va. – The Rhode Island Rams used two late goals to overcome a 1-0 deficit and defeat the George Mason men's soccer team in double overtime of the Atlantic 10 men's soccer championship semifinals on Friday.
“Our entire staff is so incredibly proud of the boys not only for the tremendous effort tonight but throughout the season,” commented head coach Greg Andrulis.
“We fought hard tonight and played some tremendous soccer. We were close a couple of times to getting that important second goal when we had them on their heels but it wasn't meant to be. A tough result, a heartbreaker, but a great effort.”
After early pressure from the Rams, Mason was able to control the ball for a good chunk of the first half while outshooting Rhode Island, 8-7. The first shot from each side were long balls outside of the box that sailed high. Henning Dirks had the first shot on goal for Mason turned away in the 16th minute before Daniel Hoffmann's shot in the 20th minute from the left of the net rolled just past the right post.
Mulgew had Mason's best chance of the half, taking a ball from Dirks at midfield and running with it until his blast from 18 yards out sailed left. Rhode Island nearly grabbed the lead in the 31st minute with a shot from point-blank range, however Michael Butts stuck out his left arm to block it for his only save of the half. Butts ended the match with three saves.
It took Mason less than two minutes into the second half to strike first, scoring the first goal of the game in the 47th minute. Brice Colcombe tossed a ball into the box from the right sideline where Dirks put a head on it and sent to Hoffmann, who fired from the left side of the net and scored in the right corner to put the Patriots up 1-0. It was Hoffmann's second goal of the season.
Rhode Island applied heavy pressure for the remainder of the match once down a goal. Butts was able to save a line drive from inside the box in the 56th minute, however the Rams' attack finally paid off with 3:45 to play in regulation. Matt Sykes played a ball near the left of the goal and tapped it to Mike Casey in front of the net where he buried the shot to force the match into overtime.
Rhode Island again waited until the final minutes to score, this time in the second overtime period when Casey scored his second of the night on a diving header inside the box on a short cross from the left side. Both sides recorded 17 shots in the contest
The Rams advance to the Atlantic 10 Championship game on Sunday while the Patriots close the season with a record of 11-4-5, 4-4-3 against Atlantic 10 opponents. The NCAA men's soccer championship selection show will take place on Monday, November 17 at 1 p.m.
