Bulldogs, Rams battle to 1-1 tie Wednesday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Thanks to a beautiful goal off a free kick from senior midfielder Lucas Guerriero (Pickering, Ont.) in the 78th minute, the Bryant University men's soccer team earned a 1-1 tie vs. URI, Wednesday afternoon at Bulldog Soccer Field.

The Bulldogs (3-4-1) outshot their opponents, 15-12, in regulation but it was not enough to earn the W as the Rams (4-3-2) remain unbeaten in their last four matches.

Right from the opening whistle it seemed to be all Bulldogs, controlling the action and the pace for the first 20+ minutes of the match but, it was URI who struck first when Matt Sykes headed in a rebound off a Carlo Davids strike in the 26th minute.

The Black and Gold continued to fight to find the equalizer behind a few near misses from forward Brett Larocque (Ottawa, Ont.) and defender Pedro-Lucas Ferreira (East Boston, Mass.), but it was Lucas Guerriero who blasted home a free kick from just outside the top of the box to the top right corner to knot the game, 1-1, in the 78th minute.

In extra time, the Rams continued to pound on the door of the Bulldog backline, but strong defending from the likes of senior Shane Murphy (Kennet Square, Pa.), freshman John Conry (Bolton, Mass.), and junior goalkeeper Chris Knaub (Yarmouth, Maine) kept the visitors at bay.

The second overtime period brought along a pair of promising scoring chances for the Rams that were quickly thwarted by the stellar play of Knaub. In the 102nd minute, Sykes ripped a shot that was sent away by the junior keeper, only to save another chance off the foot of Trevor Moran less than a minute later to preserve the 1-1 tie for the Bulldogs.

Knaub finished the game with seven saves while URI's Nils Lefhelm stopped three Bryant chances in the match.

Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will close out non-conference play on Sunday when they host Hartwick at Bulldog Soccer Field for a 1 p.m. start.

For all the latest news on the Bryant University men's soccer team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.