Robert Morris men find quantity, but lack quality in 3-0 loss to Longwood

Senior defender Noah Elamin, from Shaler, runs upfield. (Jason Cohn/RMU)

Three days after breaking through for its first win of 2019, the Robert Morris University men’s soccer team outshot an opponent for the first time, but still fell 3-0 to Longwood on Sunday at the North Athletic Complex.

BOX SCORE

Even though the Colonials (1-5-0) held an edge in shot attempts throughout the game, finishing with a 16-11 advantage, the visiting Lancers capitalized on enough opportunities to yield a comfortable margin of victory. 

Ander Extaniz scored twice for Longwood (3-1-0), which improved to 2-0 all-time against RMU. Lancers keeper Jacob Reimers stopped all seven on-target shots, out-dueling Colonials counterpart Christian Snatchko, who denied three of six in his third NCAA start — the second of his senior season.

Colonials attackers Lorenzo Guagneli (four shots), Christian Coridon (three), Riccardo Rota (three) and Michael Petitti (two) each fired multiple attempts at goal, with Guagneli putting a team-high two of those on frame. Rota had the best chance to score, however, as his 52nd-minute volley bounced off the ground and then the crossbar before deflecting away.

The Lancers had better luck just before the half, when Extaniz mishandled the ball above the RMU penalty box, but it bounced off a Colonial and right back to his feet. Extaniz then guided a shot into the top-right corner for a 1-0 lead at the break.

Before Rota’s close call, Longwood extended its edge to two goals. In the 47th minute, Markus Gronli touched Willy Miezan’s through-ball past a lunging Snatchko from 10 yards. Just past 80 minutes, Extaniz got on the end of a set-piece service for a headed finish from point-blank.

The match between these two non-conference foes grew more heated as the afternoon wore on, with two players from each side seeing yellow cards before the final whistle sounded. There were also more than a few hard collisions on challenges for loose balls.

RMU will continue to push for its second victory when it hosts cross-city rival Duquesne on Wednesday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at the North Athletic Complex.