RIC men’s soccer fall to Western Connecticut State 3-2 on Homecoming Weekend

Tim Yean

Sports Editor

Western Connecticut State University cashed in on two goals in the final minutes of action Saturday, October 18th, to stun Rhode Island College in a comeback effort on Homecoming weekend at Alumni Stadium, 3-2. The Anchormen have now lost six straight matchups against the Wolves, and remain on the prowl for their first victory in the Little East.

All scores for both teams came in a hectic second half. Freshman forward Luizandro Sanches scored both of the Anchormen’s goals in the loss. Sophomore midfielder Nickolas Santana, senior forward Maximus Vigo and freshman forward/midfielder Ernesto Barrosa all chipped in with goals for the WestConn victory which pushed them to 6-0 in conference play. Anchormen freshman goalkeeper Shane Merklein had six saves in the loss.

The match meant a lot more for the Anchormen; besides it being on Homecoming, it was a Little East Championship rematch between the two teams. RIC kept pace for the full ninety as well as two overtime periods, but were put away in penalty kicks and allowed WestConn to seize the conference trophy.

Both teams had their chances to drive in their first goals in the opening half. Junior midfielder Donovan Battle slipped a kick through defenders from the penalty arc, but the shot was read by freshman goalkeeper Makai Smith for the save. Freshman midfielder Kauan Brandalise attempted a shot from the left-side of the box, the ball driving low, eventually captured by RIC’s goalkeeper Merklein for his first save of the afternoon in the 19th minute. The Wolves also had great opportunities in the final minutes of the first forty-five, but were unable to capitalize and the match was scoreless entering the half.

Image of Rhode Island College Alumni Stadium on Homecoming Weekend by Tim Yean.

The Wolves struck the first goal in the 50th minute. Freshman midfielder Juan Gomez Herrera sent the ball Nickolas Santana’s way from the left sideline, burying the goal with a swift kick to take their first lead of the afternoon.

Looking to respond quickly, RIC’s Sanches advanced the ball to WestConn’s penalty box following a throw-in. He was then tripped up by a Western Connecticut player, but an official near the play deemed it to be a foul outside the box, negating a penalty kick opportunity that could have tied up the close affair. Sanches was downed and had to be tended to by medical staff, but was luckily able to continue his play.

The Anchormen finally found their opportunity in the 66th minute. A throw-in from senior forward Izaiah Karweh was responded to with a header from fellow classmate defender Daniel Grzybacz who had it sent over to the previously-downed Sanches. His initial shot was saved by the goalkeeper Smith on a get-down effort, but he was unable to grasp control of the ball, and the freshman Sanches capitalized with a point-blank goal off the deflection.

Only a minute later, the Anchormen’s Sanches again found the back of the net. The freshman drew a foul against a WestConn defender, setting up a free kick at the penalty arc. Junior defender Alijah Nunes’ kick met a wall of opposing players, but the ball deflected to Sanches once again, who fired the ball in for back-to-back goals to propel the Anchormen to a 2-1 advantage in the 67th.

At the 81st minute, RIC had a chance to make it a two-score lead. Sanches retrieved the ball in home territory and sent the ball downfield to freshman forward Kody Poplaski. The speedy Poplaski attempted to chase down the ball, but the sideline official controversially whistled him offside and ball possession returned to the visitors.

WestConn’s attack saw a surge in the final minutes. The Wolves’ Vigo received a pass inside the box from his left side and was able to sneak the ball into the lower-right corner of the net to tie the match at two apiece at the 85th minute. It felt like deja vu as the Wolves scored once again just minutes later, similar to what RIC had earlier in the second half. Junior midfielder Jeffrey Norales sent a lob pass over to Ernesto Barrosa, jump-kicking the ball right by Shane Merklein to wrestle control back to the Wolves in the 87th minute.

A last-minute shot from the Anchormen was wrangled down by the Wolves’ Smith, cushioning the ball in the final seconds to keep their LEC season spotless and hand the Anchormen their third defeat in the conference.

RIC has three remaining games on their schedule for the year, all in-conference matchups. They’ll be back home for their final match of the year on Wednesday, October 29 against Eastern Connecticut State University.