Brooklyn, N.Y. – Bayley Winkel scored in the 65th minute and Winter Fondi made nine saves as the Robert Morris University men's soccer team kept itself in the hunt for a Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament berth with a 1-0 victory at league-leading LIU Brooklyn this afternoon at LIU Field.
Fondi was on the top of his game in his 30th consecutive start as Robert Morris (3-9-2, 2-2-1 NEC) picked up its first victory over LIU Brooklyn (4-7-2, 3-1-0 NEC) since the 2012 season and only the program's third win over the Blackbirds in the Big Apple.
The visiting goalkeeper was tested early as Fondi stepped up to make a pair of saves on Giuseppe Barone in the 10th minute. He then denied Naeem Charles five minutes later, before making another save on Charles in the 24th minute.
Rafael Bruzual managed the Colonials' first shot on target with 26 seconds remaining in the first half, which was saved by Anthony Sciola. However, that attempt seemed to give RMU some life heading into the break, as it registered the first four shots of the second half, all coming from the 47th to 52nd minute.
Fondi came up big on a Rasmus Hansen shot attempt in the 53rd minute, and denied Hansen on a header again eight minutes later. The senior goalkeeper then denied Barone on a rebound to keep it scoreless.
The Colonials scored the winner in the 65th minute. Winkel made a strong play on the ball at midfield to dispossess a Blackbird before playing it to Jake Cooper. Cooper carried the ball towards the 18 and released Winkel into the box, where the senior forward slotted it inside the left post for his team-high ninth goal of the season.
LIU Brooklyn's last threatening attack came in the 71st minute. Hansen saw his shot blocked behind the end line for a corner kick, where he would be denied by Fondi on another attempt. Filip Nordstrom then swung a corner kick into the box, but Erik Wahlin's header found the crossbar.
RMU closed the contest out strong, holding its share of possession to deny the Blackbirds any scoring opportunities. Winkel managed to force Sciola into a save in the 87th minute, which deflected out of a corner kick that would waste more time.
Winkel now paces the Colonials with 20 points (9g, 2a) and is on the cusp of breaking into the program record books for goals and points in a single season. If he scores one more goal, Winkel will become the 12th player in school history to register double-digit tallies in a campaign.
Robert Morris returns home on Sunday, Oct. 29 when it hosts Sacred Heart at 1:00 p.m. for Senior Day. The Colonials are set to honor the career of nine seniors (Rafael Bruzual, Jake Cooper, Damian DiFlorio, Zach Graziani, Bennett Jull, Corey McCurdy, Keane McIvor, Eddie Thomas, Bayley Winkel) prior to the contest.
