Men's soccer earns A-10 berth with Charlotte win, Saint Louis 5-0 loss

11/14/08 - The University of Rhode Island men's soccer team took down University of North Carolina-Charlotte, 2-1, on Friday night in its seventh overtime game of the season, but lost to Saint Louis University, 5-0, on Sunday.The Rams were still able to earn an Atlantic 10 tournament berth thanks to a tricky scenario.

On Friday night it was win or go home for the Rams and senior Kedan Crosby made sure his team was not going home.

Crosby fired the game winning shot in double-overtime past 49ers keeper David Martin in the 109th minute.

Sophomore Peyton Warwick started at goal in place of the injured Chris Pennock - bruised hip - and turned away six shots in the process. The start was the first of Warwick's career.

"He was huge for us," head coach John O'Connor said. "That really was the difference tonight."

Crosby lead the Rams for the majority of the night, nearly putting them on the board just 10 minutes in after heading a ball from sophomore Greg Balicki just wide of the net.

Crosby also contributed the assist that led to the first goal of the night on a cross to fellow senior Andres Perdomo at the 19:08 mark.

The goal was the first of Perdomo's career.

Charlotte was able to even the score just eight minutes later as Evan James headed a ball past Warwick to put the 49ers on the board.

Warwick was able to rebound and turned away a number of shots to keep the score even throughout regulation. He pulled down a high attempt by the 49ers' Aaron Kepler in the 70th minute, and blocked a quick fire from Luke Exley a few minutes later.

The Rams outshot Charlotte 18-8 prior to overtime but were unable to break the tie and get a ball past Martin.

"Even though we didn't score, we were pleased we were getting chances," O'Connor said. "We've been working hard all week on creating chances and I think that worked out very well for us in the end."

The overtime-tested squad remained sharp in the first extra frame, playing equal with the 49ers for another 10 minutes.

Warwick was able to turn away shots by James, Matt Weston and Issac Cowles in the period.

The Rams kept their energy up in the second overtime and put the pressure on Charlotte's back line.

That pressure finally paid off as Crosby carried Rhody to victory with a quick shot past Martin at 108:32. Freshman Reece Markman was credited with the assist.

"We put a lot of energy into this game," O'Connor said. "I think this was one of our best total performances of the year."

The Rams attempted to ride their momentum into Sunday but came out on the losing end, falling to Saint Louis, 5-0.

The loss looked to be a huge blow to their tournament chances, as a win over the Billikens would have given them an automatic bid.

The Ram's fate now depended on how the other league games played out.

Fordham University was able to take down Saint Josephs University to give them the fifth seed. That left URI, Charlotte and George Washington University all battling for the sixth and final spot. A Charlotte loss to the University of Massachusetts eliminated of from contention and a George Washington loss to St. Bonaventure created a tie between the Rams and the Colonials. The Rams had tied GW 1-1 on Oct. 24, so the tiebreaker came down to each team's record against conference opponents. Rhody's record stood at (2-1-1) and GW's stood at (2-2-0), thus giving the Rams the edge and the sixth and final spot in the tournament.

"Our games have always been tight," O'Connor said. "I think the fact that we have played in so many overtime games will help us in the tournament."

The Rams faced the University of Dayton last night in Pittsburgh.

O'Connor will look toward all-conference selections Kedan Crosby, Dwayne Williams and Erkko Puranen to lead the way.

Goalkeeper Chris Pennock will be a game time decision but O'Connor said he is also confident in Warwick. Pennock was injured Thursday at practice, but the injury is not serious, O'Connor said.

"Either way I think we're ok as far as goal keeper is concerned," O'Connor said. "This is what Peyton [Warwick] has been training for."

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