Even after scoring two goals in the second half, the Dayton men’s soccer team was unable to come out with a win on Sunday, falling, 3-2, to Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, Va.
Joseph Haboush scored the game-winner for the Rams (10-2-4, 6-1-1 Atlantic 10) in the 75th minute to propel them past the Flyers (9-5-1, 3-3-1 A-10).
Dayton scored on goals from senior Daniel Berko in the 70th minute and junior midfielder Andres Acevedo in the 68th minute play. Junior Abe Keller assisted Berko on his goal.
Flyers goalkeeper Chris Froschauer also had three saves in the contest.
VCU were dominant in the first half, with three shot attempts in the first seven minutes.
Defender Dennis Castillo gave the Rams a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 18th minute. Kharlton Belmar also scored in the first period (38th minute), assisted by Mario Herrera Meraz.
Both teams shot evenly, 18-18, while VCU had eight corner kicks compared to the Flyers’ three.
With the win, the Rams extended their undefeated streak to five games.
VCU will be back in action on Friday at Richmond at 7 p.m., while Dayton hosts Massachusetts.
Xavier handles Richmond
As the 12th seed in the A-10, Xavier defeated Richmond, 5-1, on Sunday.
This match marked the second time the Musketeers totaled five goals in an outing and followed a tough loss to VCU on Friday.
Xavier (11-1-4, 4-1-2 A-10) was the first to score, with a goal by sophomore Garett Halfhill in the seventh minute, assisted by James Queree and Adar Cohen. Queree added a goal of his own, his second of the season, in the 19th minute when he headed the ball into the net to extend the Musketeers’ lead to 2-0.
The Spiders (6-11-0, 2-6-0 A-10) continued to fall behind in the second period, as the Musketeers racked up three more goals.
Richmond’s only successful scoring opportunity came in the 87th minute when Houston Oldham beat Xavier goalkeeper Matt Paprocki, who took over for starter Justin Marshall in the 75th minute.
Spiders goalkeeper Chris Grover stopped seven shots in the losing effort.
Matt Walker added two insurance goals for the Musketeers. Xavier closes the regular season with a pair of home affairs against Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, respectively.
Richmond next battles with VCU on Friday at 7 p.m.
Temple blanks La Salle
Temple spoiled La Salle’s Senior Day, shutting out its hosts, 3-0, on Sunday in Philadelphia.
The Explorers (8-6-3, 2-4-1 A-10) were outshot, 19-13, by the aggressive Owls team that had five corner kicks compared to La Salle’s four.
The Explorers made a conscious effort to score, with 10 different players firing attempts toward the goal. However, they couldn’t manage to break past Temple goalkeeper Dan Scheck, who had three saves in the shutout.
On the other side, La Salle goalkeeper John McCarthy had nine saves in the contest.
The Owls (9-5-2, 5-1-1 A-10) first scored with four minutes remaining in the first period on a Jared Martinelli score, assisted by teammates Vaughn Spurrier and Cody Calafiore.
Martinelli’s goal was not his only contribution to Temple’s victory. He assisted Nolan Hemmer’s goal in the 47th minute of play, making the score 2-0 in favor of the road squad.
Midfielder Homero Rodriguez gave the Owls their third and final goal of the affair in the 86th minute on a helper by Jake Lister.
Both sides close out the regular season this weekend, with Temple welcoming Saint Joseph’s on Saturday and La Salle visits St. Bonaventure on Friday and Duquesne on Sunday.
Kaitlin Boyer can be reached at [email protected].
