Rally Falls Short Against Villanova
Sep 27 | Men's Soccer
VILLANOVA, PA - The Rutgers men's soccer team (4-6, 2-4 BIG EAST) lost a 2-1 decision at BIG EAST opponent Villanova (5-6-1, 1-5 BIG EAST), despite out-shooting the Wildcats 24-18. The loss ended the Scarlet Knights' winning streak at three games. Nick LaBrocca (Howell, N.J.) scored the lone goal for the Scarlet Knights, his first of the season.
Both teams had plenty of scoring chances in the first half of play, as there were a combined 24 shots in the first 45 minutes. Rutgers had 13 of those 24 shots, including three by Chris Moore (Gosforth, England). Only the Wildcats, however, were able to convert one of their shots into a goal when Michael Seamon headed the ball past RU goalie Matt VanOekel (Chesapeake, Va.) in the 23rd minute of play. Victor Faustino and Joe Taylor both recorded an assist on the goal.
Villanova's offense struck again just five minutes into the second half when Mike Del Guerico's shot got past VanOekel to give his team the 2-0 lead. It was Del Guerico's second goal of the season.
LaBrocca finally got RU on the scoreboard when he fired an Alieu Terry (Silver Spring, Md.) cross past Villanova goalie Jason Friel to bring Rutgers within one goal of tying the match. Unfortunately, the Scarlet Knights were unable to score any goals after LaBrocca's, and Villanova got the 2-1 win. Moore finished the game with a team-high five shots, while Bart Koffeman (The Hague, Netherlands) chipped in four.
Head coach Bob Reasso wasn't entirely pleased with the way his team played but knew both he and the team had to look ahead to their next match.
"We found some intensity later in the game, but I don't know where it was before we got down. We need to find a way to be more discipline in the box, but we play USF on Saturday so we can't lose faith."
Rutgers will play its second-straight BIG EAST road game on Saturday, Sept. 29, when the team travels to the University of South Florida for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Soccer Game Summary (Final)
2006 Rutgers Men's Soccer
Rutgers at Villanova (Sept. 27 at Villanova, Pa.)
Rutgers (4-6, 2-4 BIG EAST) at Villanova (5-6-1, 1-5 BIG EAST)
Date: Sept. 27, 2006 Attendance: 376
Goals by Period: 1 2 Tot
Rutgers 0 1 1
Villanova 1 1 2
Scoring Summary:
Shots: RU - 24, VU - 18.
Saves: RU - 4, VU - 7.
Time Team Goal Assist(s)22:02 VU SEAMON, Michael (1) FAUSTINO, Victor; TAYLOR, Joe
49:22 VU DEL GUERICO, Mike (2) SLEECE, Matt
63:03 RU LABROCCA, Nick (1) TERRY, Alieu
