Robert Morris men’s soccer jumps out early to defeat Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-0

From Robert Morris University Athletics report 

Robert Morris University men’s soccer team defeated Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday evening, 3-0. The Colonials are now 4-3-3 overall on the season and 2-2 in conference play. The Mastodons go home now with a 5-3-1 overall record and 3-1 record in Horizon League games.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

The Colonials didn’t take long to get to work in front of their home crowd. Two and a half minutes into the game, the first stat recorded of the game was a goal for RMU.

Off a cross in front of the box, senior Chase Gilley flicked a header into space. Sophomore Anass Hadran slipped past the defenders and hammered in a goal, quickly getting on the board. “I work on plays like that in practice,” said Hadran. “As an attacking midfielder I try to help assist the offense and score as much as I can.”

Staying on the attack, Hadran and forward John Paul Mbuthia took chances at goal. Hadran missed a chance going left of the net and Mbuthia hit two shots.

In the 11^th minute, RMU struck again. Beating a player down the wing, Chase Gilley found John Paul Mbuthia outside the box. Showing off his ability to hit from distance, Mbuthia took a shot and launched a shot into the top left corner, beating the keeper short side. The goalie stood no chance and the Colonials were off to an early 2-0 lead.

In soccer, holding a two-goal advantage is known as the worst lead in soccer. So, captain Gabe Norris handled that.

Building up a play from the right side of the field, several players connected on passes. Cutting past a defender, Hadran located Norris running in from the left side. Using a player in front of him to block the goalie’s vision, he curled in a low shot into the bottom right corner. 16 minutes in, RMU was already up 3-0.

“Scoring three goals in the first half brings us such great energy,” said Anass Hadran. “Everyone put forth a ton of effort. The staff and all the players want to do our best.”

After handling business soon into the game, the Colonials were on autopilot for the remainder of the half. RMU only allowed one shot on goal which goalkeeper Kieran Gorgenyi handled.

Onto the second half, the game became quite physical. Starters Gabe Norris and Kai McLoughlin were issued a yellow card. Then, in the 61^st minute the referee unfortunately gave Chase Gilley a red card, removing him from the game. Therefore, the Colonials had to play the remainder of the game with just 10 players.

Changing the style of play, head coach Jonathan Potter and his staff transitioned his team to a more defensive setup. Subbing players often, RMU kept players fresh to continue the defensive pressure and hold the fort down.

Purdue Fort Wayne spent more time in RMU’s defensive zone, hitting six shots in the last 30 minutes. Only one was on target, failing to get a goal past Gorgenyi.

Playing a man down, the Colonials withheld the Mastodons from scoring and won 3-0 for their first conference win at home this season.