Men's Soccer | 10/19/2019 10:06:00 AM
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- With four matches left in the regular season, the
Robert Morris University men's soccer team is on the road for the third time in Northeast Conference play, taking on St. Francis Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon.
ROBERT MORRIS (3-8-2, 2-2-1 NEC)
at ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN (6-4-1, 2-3-0 NEC)
Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m.
Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn, N.Y.
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
CATCHING UP
The Colonials played just once last week, falling 2-1 in overtime to Bryant at the North Athletic Complex last Friday afternoon. Sophomore forward
Riccardo Rota scored a 15th-minute goal off
Cristian Palermo's corner kick, but the Bulldogs tied the match early in the second and won it three minutes into golden-goal overtime.
Despite the defeat, RMU remains in position to make the four-team NEC tournament, currently
sitting in fourth -- one point up on fifth-place Mount St. Mary's and two up on sixth-place Fairleigh Dickinson. Also, even though NEC newcomer Merrimack sits in first, the Warriors are ineligible to make the postseason, so finishing in the top five will be enough for the Colonials to make it.
HISTORY LESSON
Robert Morris snapped a three-match losing streak to
St. Francis Brooklyn last October at the North Athletic Complex, winning 1-0 on a
Zac Sherman '19 goal. Although the Colonials lost to the Terriers twice in Brooklyn in 2017 -- including in the NEC semifinal round -- they prevailed 1-0 in New York back in 2015, with all-time program great
Neco Brett '15 scoring in extra time.
OPPOSITION RESEARCH
St. Francis Brooklyn jumped back into postseason contention with a resounding 3-0 win over Bryant on Friday afternoon. El Mahdi Youssoufi scored his team-best sixth goal in the shutout victory, which pulled coach Tom Giovatto's team within a point of the NEC playoff zone. Prior to Friday, the Terriers had lost three straight one-goal games to fall to ninth in the 10-team league.
COLONIAL CHAT
"We just need to keep working hard and believing in our goal."
Senior forward
Christian Coridon talked with
Matt Gajtka about the road ahead, the Colonials' revived attack and making the most of his final few weeks as an NCAA soccer player:
KNOW BOBBY MO
• Since RMU returned just three goals and four assists from last season's roster, this year figured to require scoring by committee. As such, eight players have at least a point through 14 games, and six have scored a goal. Rota is the only player with multiple goals (four), while sophomore Palermo (three assists) and freshman
Michael Petitti (two) are the top two playmakers.
• The RMU back line has been regularly manned by NCAA veterans. Senior
Christopher Coridon and junior
Oeyvind Skjesol have both started all 14 games to date, not missing a minute in the process. Two WPIAL products regularly patrol the wings: Senior
Noah Elamin (Shaler Area) and junior
Matt Cillo (South Fayette) have gotten 12 starts each.
• Freshman goalkeeper
Mike Zolnierczyk (pictured above) has taken over the Colonials' No. 1 job, starting six straight games after appearing in just two of the first seven. Last year's WPIAL Class A player of the year at Springdale High School has allowed one goal or fewer in four of his past six appearances, including consecutive clean sheets Sept. 27 and 29.
• In the past two games, the Colonials have begun to correct their first-half struggles, outscoring opponents 2-0 over that stretch. On the season, RMU has been outscored 13-4 before the intermission, carrying a deficit into halftime six times.
• Although the Colonials won just once in their non-conference slate, that hasn't meant much in recent history. Last year, RMU was 0-5-1 entering NEC play, but won four times in league, nearly making the postseason tournament. In 2017, they dropped their first six and went their first nine (0-7-2) without a victory. However, they won three times in league and made the NEC tourney.
• The Colonials welcome seven newcomers -- three from the Pittsburgh region. Sophomores
Nick Williams and
Grant Glorioso both transferred in after matriculating from North Allegheny, with Zolnierczyk further raising the Yinzer quotient. There's international flair, too, with
Michael Petitti (Canada) and
Said Samara Hernandez (Costa Rica) joining fellow attackers
Ethan Romito of Maryland and
Jon Faynik from Minnesota.
• According to a preseason coaches poll, the Colonials were picked to finish sixth of nine teams in the NEC. RMU has finished fifth or higher in the NEC in four of the past five seasons, posting a 16-19-5 record against league foes since the 2014 campaign.
• For the first time in program history, the Colonials will play 11 home games at the North Athletic Complex, including six in a row from Sept. 12-29. That homestand matched one from 1991 for the longest in team annals. The friendly schedule came to the forefront in non-conference play, as RMU will played two of seven on the road before facing NEC opponents.
HONOR ROLL
The following Colonials have been honored by the NEC this season ...
Mike Zolnierczyk - Prime Performer (Oct. 1)
Riccardo Rota - Prime Performer (Oct. 8)
THE DENNISTON FILE
Returning for his 23rd season in charge of the Colonials,
Bill Denniston is the longest-tenured varsity head coach on campus. RMU has made seven NEC tournaments under Bethany College grad, winning the 2005 edition and making the NCAA Tournament. Denniston also led RMU to a regular-season NEC title in 2001, taking league Coach of the Year honors in the process.
Twenty-three players have made All-NEC teams under his tutelage, with several of those going on to sign pro contracts. The Jamaican attacking duo of
Neco Brett and Devon Williams headline that group, as both currently star in the second-tier USL Championship here in the States. Denniston is joined on staff by sixth-year assistant
Brandon Regan, who focuses on goalkeepers.
MARCH WITH THE COLONIALS
In addition to reports and videos on RMUColonials.com, check out
Twitter and
Instagram for news and updates throughout the season.
UP NEXT
Returning home, the Colonials will host Sacred Heart on Friday, Oct. 25 at the North Athletic Complex. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
