Rhody men's soccer team takes split during weekend

By: Brandon Gearing

Posted: 9/17/08

09/17/08 - Faced with pouring rain and undesirable field conditions, the University of Rhode Island men's soccer team put in a strong effort and took down Albany 3-2 on Friday night.

Freshman Erkko Puranen led the way, finding the back of the net twice in the contest while sophomore Greg Balicki booted the game winning goal with 58 seconds left on the clock.

"The guys worked very hard dealing with the tough conditions," coach John O'Connor said.

He also praised the efforts of Puranen and Balicki, as well as freshman Cody Zane and sophomore Matt Preyss.

"Cody Zane did a fantastic job after Ryan McCormick went down with a concussion," O'Connor said. McCormick was forced to miss Sunday's contest against Boston University and is also expected to miss Wednesday's game against Harvard University.

"We're hoping to have him back for the game on Saturday, but we're being cautious," O'Connor said.

With their record standing at 2-1-0, the Rams traveled to Boston University on Sunday. Rhody did not experience the same success as Friday and fell 4-0.

"We played too casual at times," O'Connor said. "BU is a good team and there was about 10 minutes where the wheels just fell off the cart."

BU's Shaun Taylor found the net first at 6:25 on the first shot of the game.

"We've given up the first goal in every game so far, that's something we need to change," O'Connor said.

O'Connor was able to put some fresh faces out on the field, giving them valuable game experience. "We're a young team and we're going to get better," he said.

URI's record now stands at 2-2-0.

In order to rebound from a game where the Rams didn't play to their potential, O'Connor will look to junior Kevin Shaw, whom he says has been the team's spiritual leader. He says that he can also count on senior Kedan Crosby to lead the team.

The Rams will be at home on Wednesday to take on Harvard University at 5 p.m.