VCU DROPS PHYSICAL CONTEST TO RICHMOND
Rams will play at Virginia on Sunday
Box Score

RICHMOND, Va.—A penalty kick was the difference, as the Virginia Commonwealth University women’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 contest at local rival Richmond on Friday night at First Market Stadium. The loss drops VCU to 0-1, while Richmond improves to 2-0.

A physical tone was set early, and as a result, neither team was able to break through in the first half. The Rams were out-shot, 8-3, in the first half. VCU committed four fouls, while the Spiders were whistled for five fouls. At the end of the opening frame, Stephanie Power (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) was caught on the wrong end of the game’s physical play, taking a hard shot while fighting for a ball in the air in the half’s closing seconds. Power remained on the ground for several minutes after falling on her shoulder and head, but returned for the second half.

Richmond broke into the scoring column on a foul call early in the second half. Sarah Hilt received a penalty kick after being after tumbling in the box. Hilt snuck the penalty kick into the net on the right side past goalkeeper Lauren Hardison (Midlothian, Va.) to give the Spiders a 1-0 advantage in the 50th minute.

The Rams threatened in the 60th minute with a pair of corner kicks, but both were cleared out. Sophomore Laurel Pastor (Springfield, Va.) broke free off a pass from freshman Meaghan Dullea (Virginia Beach, Va.) a minute later, but was turned away on a solid defensive effort by Nora Mann.

In the 81st minute, Megan Flanagan (Franktown, Colo.) sped down the left side and found June Hartman (Virginia Beach, Va.) near the box, but Hartman’s header went left of the net. Three minutes later, Hartman found the back of the net after a loose ball, but a foul negated her attempt.

With two minutes left to play, Francesca Gioeli (New York, N.Y.) collected a pass in the box, but her shot was blocked. A corner kick followed, but a header by Hartman fell short.

“I don’t think we came to battle in the first half,” said co-head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak. “I was a little disappointed with how we came out in the first half. It was definitely a learning experience. We can’t afford to throw one half away. It’s the beginning of the season. We still have some stuff to figure out. We have to learn from tonight and move on because we have a big one Sunday.

The Rams look to recover Sunday on the road, but will face a stiff challenge against ACC power Virginia. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Richmond,” said co-head coach Tim Sahaydak. “They always come out and play hard. They play the game like it’s a city championship. They play the game the way it should be played. They definitely won the 50-50 battle tonight. They played a little different system. They played with a little more attack than they usually. We gave them some soft chances and they capitalized.”