Men's Soccer | 9/17/2019 12:27:00 PM

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Robert Morris University men's soccer team wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a pair of home games, starting Wednesday afternoon against cross-town rival Duquesne and frequent foe Howard.

ROBERT MORRIS (1-5-0) vs. DUQUESNE (4-0-1)
Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 4 p.m.
North Athletic Complex
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

ROBERT MORRIS vs. HOWARD (1-3-0)
Sunday, Sept. 22 at 11 a.m.
North Athletic Complex
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

LAST WEEK
The Colonials broke through for their first victory of the season last Thursday, rallying from a second-half deficit to beat California Baptist, 2-1. Shortly after freshman Ethan Romito scored his first college goal to tie it, classmate Michael Petitti set up sophomore Riccardo Rota for the winner. Unfortunately, RMU fell 3-0 to Longwood on Sunday, despite firing a season-high 16 shots toward the Lancers' goal.

KNOW BOBBY MO
• Slow start to seasons haven't doomed RMU in the recent past. Last year, the Colonials went six (0-5-1) without a win, but still won four times in NEC play, barely missing 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.

• Falling behind early has been a bugaboo so far. RMU has trailed in all six of its games so far, carrying a deficit into halftime five times. Eleven of the 17 goals allowed by the Colonials this season have occurred before halftime, while the earliest goal they've scored has been in the 39th minute.

• 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 matches one from 1991 for the longest in team annals. The friendly schedule comes to the forefront in non-conference play, as RMU will play just two of seven on the road before facing NEC opponents.

• All-NEC Rookie Team pick Lorenzo Guagneli returns for his sophomore season after starting all 17 matches in 2018. The third Colonial ever to be so honored, Guagneli saw 1,490 minutes in the defensive midfield and went the distance in 10 fixtures as a freshman. On the attack, the native of Cesenatico, Italy, earned an assist and fired 19 total shots toward goal last year.

• Since RMU returns just three goals from last year, new attackers will need to assist sophomore midfielder Palermo (17 starts in 2018) and senior forward Christian Coridon. The defense has more certainty, with Guagneli playing in front of returning backs Oeyvind Skjesol (17 starts in 2018) and Christopher Coridon (12 appearances, six starts). 

• Goalie is a position of interest to start the season, with two Pittsburgh-area newcomers augmenting the presence of senior Canon-McMillan grad Snatchko Glorioso comes to Moon Township by way of Gardner-Webb and North Allegheny High School, while freshman Mike Zolnierczyk was the 2018 WPIAL Class A player of the year at Springdale. All three men have started two games so far.

• The Colonials welcome seven newcomers, three of those from the Pittsburgh region. Sophomores Nick Williams and Glorioso both transfer 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.

• Two WPIAL products figure to patrol the wings for the Colonials, with senior Noah Elamin and junior Matt Cillo providing valuable varsity experience. Elamin, a graduate of Shaler Area, started 12 games last season and appeared in 14 overall; Cillo, out of South Fayette, started 15 times in 2018, seeing the finish line in 10 of those.

• 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 14-18-4 record against league foes since the 2014 campaign.

HISTORY LESSON
The Colonials and Duquesne have met every season since 1995, with the home team going 8-0-1 over the past nine matchups. Last year at Rooney Field on the Dukes' campus, Owen Pearce '19 scored in the 17th minute, but RMU conceded the next four goals in a 4-1 loss. Two years ago at the North Athletic Complex, then-sophomore Christian Coridon netted an 82nd-minute strike to forge a 1-1 tie for the Colonials.

Robert Morris has never lost to Howard, boasting a 5-0-1 record against the Bison since 2013. Last year, Kai Olguin '19 helped RMU pull out a 1-0 victory in Washington, D.C., converting classmate Zac Sherman's setup with 15 minutes left in regulation. Bayley Winkel '18 nailed the game-winner two years ago at home, capping a late two-goal rally.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH
Duquesne is off to its best start in five years, having won four in a row to maintain the only unbeaten record in the Atlantic 10. However, seventh-year head coach Chase Brooks' team has yet to step foot outside the Bluff for a match. Defense has carried Duquesne so far, with just three goals allowed in five matches; thus, DU hasn't trailed since its opener. Senior Zach Hall is the only Duke with multiple goals.

Howard broke a season-opening three-match scoreless streak with a 3-2 victory at NEC foe Bryant last Sunday. The Bison led three separate times in the match, with Daniel Hart putting them ahead for good with less than five minutes remaining. Senior Andres Gomez also scored in the win, the first of the year for the man who buried four last fall for head coach Phillip Gyau.

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 'Speedy' 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.

NEXT WEEK
The Colonials begin their 10-game NEC slate next Friday, Sept. 27, when they welcome Mount St. Mary's to the NAC for a 1 p.m. kick. They close the weekend with a 3 p.m. tilt against Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, Sept. 29.