Men's soccer attains winning record

09/30/08 - The University of Rhode Island men's soccer team now has a winning record thanks to a successful weekend at the University of Massachusetts Invitational. Friday, URI (4-3-1) kicked off the first of two games with a 0-0 tie against the University of Vermont in a game that was called after 70 minutes and 39 seconds.

The Rams took back to the field in Amherst, Mass. on Sunday and defeated the University of Hartford in double overtime, 1-0. Head coach John O'Connor was pleased with his team's performance.

"We were very determined to get good results," he said.

Junior goalkeeper Chris Pennock was the star of the first match against Vermont, picking up a shutout. O'Connor was pleased with his play in both games.

"He has been spectacular," he said. "[Pennock] has leadership and is very competitive." Don't give all the credit to Pennock, though.

"He manages the team very well," O'Connor added, "but he had a lot of help, too."

Rhode Island outshot Vermont 5-4 with two shots from senior Kedan Crosby.

The Rams tasted a victory in the second game against Hartford. After more than 100 minutes of play, freshman Erkko Puranen scored his fourth goal of the season, to giving Rhody the victory.

"This adds on to what we've been doing," O'connor said. "We've only conceded one goal in the last four games but we haven't scored a lot."

Rhode Island added to their total wins, allowing them to surpass .500 again in what has been a back and forth season regarding wins and losses.

"This gives our guys experience," O'Connor said. "We're a young team, and we're going to use each game to build on the next one."

Rhody won the invitational with a record of 1-0-1. America East conference participants Vermont and Hartford tied for second with records of 0-0-2 and 1-1-0, respectively. Invitational host University of Massachusetts finished in last place with a record of 0-1-1.

O'Connor feels this invitational was significant because a fellow Atlantic 10 conference team was involved. However, he also wanted to focus on his own team.

"It was important to see UMass play because we play them soon," he said, "but we still have to gain confidence and try to get results. We're looking for consistent performance."

The UMass Invitational All-Tournament Team consisted of twelve players from the tournament, including four Rams. Junior Kevin Shaw and junior Domenic Petrarca joined Pennock and Puranen on the team.

The team also included three players each from Hartford and Vermont and two from Massachusetts. Despite the success, O'Connor admits there is room for improvement.

"We need the attacking side to be more precise," he said. "Passing and shooting can improve along with putting away chances when we have them."

Rhode Island gets back on the field Friday against Siena College. URI will host the team's final non-conference game.