Men's Soccer | 11/8/2019 5:27:00 PM
LORETTO, Pa. -- With one game left in the Northeast Conference schedule, the
Robert Morris University men's soccer team needs a result at in-state rival Saint Francis U. to have a chance to make the four-team postseason tournament. RMU has made the NEC tourney in two of the past four seasons, qualifying in 2015 and '17 before barely missing last year.
ROBERT MORRIS (4-10-2, 3-4-1 NEC)
at SAINT FRANCIS U. (9-5-0, 6-2-0 NEC)
Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m.
Stokes Soccerplex, Loretto, Pa.
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
CATCHING UP
The Colonials fell 3-0 to Long Island last Friday at the North Athletic Complex, setting up this week's do-or-die scenario. RMU is
tied for the fourth and final NEC postseason berth, level on 10 points with St. Francis Brooklyn. However, since the Colonials lost to SFBK this year, they need to finish ahead of the Terriers to make the tournament.
RMU also has to worry about Mount St. Mary's (nine points) and Fairleigh Dickinson (eight), who play each other at 1 p.m. Sunday. A Colonials win would put both teams out of the running -- and put the onus on SFBK to win at Long Island -- but a tie at SFU could trigger some
complicated tiebreaker scenarios.
HISTORY LESSON
The Colonials broke a six-match losing streak to
Saint Francis U. last season, outlasting the Red Flash by a 1-0 final at the NAC. Then-freshman
Lorenzo Guagneli assisted on
Owen Pearce's second-half goal that delivered the victory. The last time RMU prevailed in Loretto was 2009, when David Torrance's 10th-minute strike held up.
OPPOSITION RESEARCH
Saint Francis U. has suffered just two losses in NEC play, in overtime at Long Island and 1-0 at first-place Merrimack. Since Merrimack is ineligible for the NEC tourney in its transition to Division I athletics, SFU can lock up the league's top seed with a win Sunday. Junior Brazilian midfielder Lucas Rosa powers the Red Flash attack, with 10 goals and two assists.
COLONIAL CHAT
"If we keep it locked down in the back we have a good chance to get a result. Seize the moment." Junior centerback and team captain
Oeyvind Skjesol talked with
Matt Gajtka about the challenge ahead this weekend.
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, 13 players have at least a point, and nine have scored a goal. Italian-born sophomore
Riccardo Rota is the goal leader with four, while classmate
Cristian 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 Skjesol have both started all 16 games to date, not missing a minute in the process. Two WPIAL products regularly patrol the wings: Senior
Noah Elamin (Shaler Area, pictured above) and junior
Matt Cillo (South Fayette) have gotten 15 starts each.
• After Jennings jumped into the fray for the past two starts, four different goalkeepers have appeared for the Colonials this year. Freshman
Mike Zolnierczyk has played the most, starting nine times and recording the team's only two shutouts. Sophomore transfer
Grant Glorioso has appeared four times (three starts) and Snatchko has appeared in three games, starting two.
• Despite recording three wins and a tie in league play, the Colonials have frequently had to rally from behind to earn points. On the season, RMU has been outscored 18-4 before the intermission, carrying a deficit into halftime nine times. However, two of RMU's three victories have been of the come-from-behind variety, as was one of the Colonials' two draws.
• 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 Glorioso both transferred in after matriculating from North Allegheny, with Zolnierczyk further raising the Yinzer quotient. There's international flair, too, with Petitti (Canada) and
Said Samara Hernandez (Costa Rica) joining fellow attackers
Ethan Romito of Maryland and 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 had 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)
Roald Aas Ravlum - Prime Performer (Oct. 29)
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
If the Colonials qualify for the NEC tourney for the third time in five years, they will play in the semifinal round Friday, Nov. 15 at a location and time to be determined. The NEC championship game will take place Sunday, Nov. 17.
