By Steve Marcus
Staff Writer
The men’s soccer team (5-12, 3-4) welcomes La Salle (8-6-3, 2-4-1) today at 3p.m. and Fordham (5-6-4, 1-3-3) Sunday on McGraw-Jennings field. Sitting in 9th place just one point behind 8th place Rhode Island, the team hopes to clinch a playoff berth.
La Salle comes into the game winless in their last five games and sitting two points behind the Bonnies in 10th place. The Explorers are led by junior midfielder Jason Plumhoff who leads the team with 13 points on five goals and three assists. La Salle has 12 players who’ve found the back of the net this season, the most of any team in the Atlantic 10.
Junior midfielder James Reed touched on how Friday’s game is the most important of the year.
“We know what we have to do,” Reed said. “Two wins guarantee us a spot in the playoffs but the game on Sunday means nothing if we don’t get it done on Friday. It just comes down to execution; we’re a focused group and are ready for the challenge.”
On Sunday, the men host Fordham on senior day where they will honor, Reid Gan, Joshua Gonsalves, Julian Cenzi, Matt McNally, Andrew Derayeh, and Abel Bautista.
Gan remembers a game two years ago in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament versus St. Louis as the most memorable game of his career.
“We played beautiful soccer and we have been trying to mimic that performance ever since,” Gan said. “We were on a wonderful surface in front of a big crowd and I think everyone who saw us play knew that we as Bonnies can really play the game. That’s when it hit me, how talented everyone I have played with truly is.”
The Rams, winless in their last four matches and six of their last seven, sit in 15th place in the league. Fordham, who has struggled to score this year are led by sophomore Finnish native Kalle Sotka who has a team high two goals on the year. The Rams sit dead last in the league with only eight goals on the year, an average of .73 goals per game, but they are tops in the A-10 allowing .64 goals per game, having given up a mere seven goals all season.
Needing to win both games this weekend’s to guarantee themselves a spot in the A-10 tournament, Gan said it would mean the world to him to clinch a playoff berth in his last home game.
“Especially after the disappointing seasons we had last year, this year would be a way to wash that away and show ourselves and the others in the league that we aren’t a fluke,” Gan said.
Last Friday the Bonnies had their biggest offensive explosion of the season, beating UMass (5-8-2, 2-5) 4-1 in a game which saw the junior class shine. In just the 5th minute junior defender Brad Beaumont found teammate James Reed who went one on one with the UMass keeper and beat him to put the Bonnies up 1-0. Just eight minutes later, UMass tied the score at 1 when Dominic Skrajewski found Brett Canepa who fired a line drive over the head of senior goalie Abel Bautista.
In the 34th minute, junior midfielder Daniel Iannnacito beat the UMass goalie to put the men up 2-1 going into halftime. The second half belonged to Brad Vanino. The junior midfielder scored two goals just a minute apart to put the Bonnies ahead for good.
Coach Mel Mahler said he was pleased with his team’s effort on the road.
“I’m happy for the boy’s; it was a great road win,” Mahler said. “I was impressed with everyone’s focus and determination from the first to last whistle.”
Last Sunday, the roles were reversed as the Bonnies suffered a 4-1 setback to Rhode Island (4-9-3, 3-3-1) as the Rams celebrated their senior day. URI seniors accounted for all four goals on the day. The lone Bonnies’ goal came in the 21st minute when James Reed took a free kick and found Brad Beaumont who corralled the ball and touched it past the keeper to tie the score at 1. The game went into half tied at 1. The second half belonged to the Rams, as they scored three unanswered goals in the 52nd, 79th and 82nd minute to put the Bonnies postseason chances on hold.
Mahler stressed focusing not just for one game, but a whole weekend while on the road.
“Today we learned you have to be mentally focused, not throughout a match, but from match to match,” Mahler said. “This has been our Achilles heel all season. Now we have our backs against the wall.”
