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LEXINGTON, Va. – In a thrilling final game of the Jay Sculley Memorial Tournament, the VMI Keydets lost a hard-fought, 1-0 decision to the Rider Broncs.
With 30 seconds to play, Rider’s Andrew Cotes lined up for a corner kick. He was able to apply a great deal of hook on the attempt, and the ball angled through the defense and just inside the far post, giving the Broncs the first lead of the contest. The Keydets quickly went down to the other end and gamely tried to rally, with Zach Morgan firing a shot wide at the 89:50 mark. Chris Curtis quickly followed his classmate’s attempt, but he was also wide, and a final, last-ditch header by Will Quarles was just high, allowing Rider to hold on for the thrilling win.
The Keydets controlled the pace of the game early, tallying four of the game’s first five shots and testing Rider keeper Chris Pimentel with a Kurt Zimmerman header at 15:12. Rider came back with three of the next four attempts, but that Pimentel save remained the game’s only stop until the Broncs’ netminder stopped an Amir Shihata attempt in the 29th minute.
Moments later, VMI put together one of its best attacks of the day. Shihata narrowly missed his first career goal, as he hit the far post with an attempt. Brian Harding was there for the follow, but a Rider defender was able to block the attempt and keep the game scoreless, which is how it would remain into halftime. The Keydets outshot Rider 9-6 in the opening frame, but neither team could dent the scoreboard.
The teams alternated shots to begin the opening half, with the Broncs putting together the first serious scoring chance. Brian Sowell made a pair of saves, one each in the 61st and 64th minute, to thwart the effort and keep the game tied, 0-0. Rider continued to push the ball, forcing Sowell to make another save at 69:21, but the VMI netminder was up to the task and the game stayed scoreless.
When a shot by VMI’s Quarles went high from about 25 yards out at 87:21, the contest appeared potentially headed for overtime. However, the Broncs quickly got up the field and a header shot by Chris Kozak sailed high, setting the stage for a corner kick with just under a minute remaining. That kick was deflected out-of-bounds, setting the stage for the game-winner.
With the win, VMI falls to 0-4 while Rider moves to 1-4 with the triumph. Sowell stopped four shots for the Keydets, while Pimentel made a pair of saves for the Broncs. For the game, VMI held a narrow edge in shots at 15-14, corners at 6-4 and saves at 4-2.
In the early game, St. Francis (N.Y.) knocked off Liberty by the same score, 1-0. The 2009 Jay Sculley Memorial All-Tournament team appears below. VMI men’s soccer will return to action Friday, as the Keydets head to Garden City, N.Y. to take on Adelphi University. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
2009 Jay Sculley Memorial All-Tournament Team
Kurt Zimmerman, VMI
Chris Curtis, VMI
David Rochow, VMI
Michael Ward, Liberty
Darren Amoo, Liberty
Chris Mandell, Liberty
Chris Antonino, St. Francis
Semso Nikocevic, St. Francis
Paul Benkert, St. Francis
Andrew Cotes, Rider
Jim Bradley, Rider
Alex Titus, Rider
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Courtesy: VMIKeydets.com
