Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University men's soccer team defeated Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday evening, 3-0. The Colonials are now 4-3-3 overall on the season and 2-2 in conference play. The Mastodons go home now with a 5-3-1 overall record and 3-1 record in Horizon League games.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Colonials didn't take long to get to work in front of their home crowd. Two and a half minutes into the game, the first stat recorded of the game was a goal for RMU.
Off a cross in front of the box, senior
Chase Gilley flicked a header into space. Sophomore
Anass Hadran slipped past the defenders and hammered in a goal, quickly getting on the board. "I work on plays like that in practice," said Hadran. "As an attacking midfielder I try to help assist the offense and score as much as I can."
Staying on the attack, Hadran and forward
John Paul Mbuthia took chances at goal. Hadran missed a chance going left of the net and Mbuthia hit two shots.
In the 11
th minute, RMU struck again. Beating a player down the wing,
Chase Gilley found
John Paul Mbuthia outside the box. Showing off his ability to hit from distance, Mbuthia took a shot and launched a shot into the top left corner, beating the keeper short side. The goalie stood no chance and the Colonials were off to an early 2-0 lead.
In soccer, holding a two-goal advantage is known as the worst lead in soccer. So, captain
Gabe Norris handled that.
Building up a play from the right side of the field, several players connected on passes. Cutting past a defender, Hadran located Norris running in from the left side. Using a player in front of him to block the goalie's vision, he curled in a low shot into the bottom right corner. 16 minutes in, RMU was already up 3-0.
"Scoring three goals in the first half brings us such great energy," said
Anass Hadran. "Everyone put forth a ton of effort. The staff and all the players want to do our best."
After handling business soon into the game, the Colonials were on autopilot for the remainder of the half. RMU only allowed one shot on goal which goalkeeper
Kieran Gorgenyi handled.
Onto the second half, the game became quite physical. Starters
Gabe Norris and
Kai McLoughlin were issued a yellow card. Then, in the 61
st minute the referee unfortunately gave
Chase Gilley a red card, removing him from the game. Therefore, the Colonials had to play the remainder of the game with just 10 players.
Changing the style of play, head coach Jonathan Potter and his staff transitioned his team to a more defensive setup. Subbing players often, RMU kept players fresh to continue the defensive pressure and hold the fort down.
Purdue Fort Wayne spent more time in RMU's defensive zone, hitting six shots in the last 30 minutes. Only one was on target, failing to get a goal past Gorgenyi.
Playing a man down, the Colonials withheld the Mastodons from scoring and won 3-0 for their first conference win at home this season.
SCORING PLAYS AND CAUTIONS
3' – Goal: Anass Hadran (3), Assisted by: Chase Gilley (1)
11' – Goal: John Paul Mbuthia (2), Assisted by: Chase Gilley (2)
16' – Goal: Gabe Norris (4), Assisted by: Anass Hadran (3)
20' – Yellow Card: John Paul Mbuthia
49' – Yellow Card: Gabe Norris
54' – Yellow Card: Kai McLoughlin
61' – Red Card: Chase Gilley
EARLY AND OFTEN
Against the Mastodons, the Colonials put the game away shortly after the opening kickoff. He can score late and he can score early, the Moroccan
Anass Hadran finished off a goal 150 seconds into the game. Hadran has now scored the quickest goal on the season and also owns the latest goal ever scored in program history when he netted the game-winning goal off a penalty kick at the 89:57 mark against Northern Kentucky (9/9). Playing as the target forward,
John Paul Mbuthia registered his second goal in the campaign, blasting a screamer from distance. And,
Gabe Norris rounded out the trio of early goals in just the 16
th minute. So far in 2023, RMU has produced three goals or more in a match on three occasions.
GABE NORRIS AT ROBERT MORRIS
Leading his time in a defensive midfield role, Norris produced his fourth goal of the season, remaining the team leader in goals. With just six shots all year, five have been on target and four have ended up behind the keeper. The Natrona Heights native doesn't shoot often, but when he does it's usually a goal.
NO NEED TO CHASE
On the day,
Chase Gilley provided two vital assists on the Colonials first two goals against PFW. Instead of chasing down the ball and running into space as
Chase Gilley has done so many times before, today he waited for the ball to come to him to make his impact. Making two surgical passes through the Mastodons defense, Gilley ended the game with his first two assists of the year.
ANASS ON THE ATTACK
Through the 2023 campaign, sophomore
Anass Hadran is the team's current point leader. Working behind the target forward, Hadran creates many offensive chances playing in the heart of the midfield. With options in all directions, the Moroccan owns three goals and three assists. "We want to go as far as we can this season," stated Hadran. "Our team wants to be right there with the other good teams in this conference."
QUOTABLE
"Purdue Fort Wayne is a really great team. We knew coming in they were undefeated in conference play so we understood we had our work cut out for us. Each and every guy on the team did everything they could to win. Just really proud of the guys." – Head Coach Jonathan Potter
UP NEXT
RMU gets a week to rest now. Their next game is on the road as they'll visit Wright State in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday, October 7 at 3:00 p.m.
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