Nov. 5, 2004

Box Score

KINGSTON, R.I. - The University of Rhode Island men's soccer clinched its eighth Atlantic 10 Tournament berth in the last 10 years when it defeated Massachusetts 2-0 Friday night at the URI Soccer Complex.

Freshman Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztyneck, Poland) scored the game-winning goal with 31:53 remaining after a serve from sophomore Jeffrey Gonsalves (Markham, Ontario) sent Tumicz off an running on a breakaway. Freshman Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) scored an insurance goal with 6:28 remaining off a creative assist from the nation's leader in goals and points, senior Sasha Gotsmanov (Woodbury, Minn.)

In a repeat of last season, the Rams played UMass in the Atlantic 10 season finale at the URI Soccer Complex with the winner earning a berth to the conference tournament. Last season, Rhode Island took a 3-0 win and went on to win three-straight games in the tournament to win the title and advance to the NCAA Tournament. This year the Rams (11-7-1, 6-4-1 Atlantic 10) will look to repeat that feat, but first Rhody will host in-state rival Brown on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the regular season finale on Cox-3 TV.

UMass still has a chance at an A-10 Tournament berth if La Salle loses to Fordham on Saturday at 1 p.m. Rhode Island will find out its first round opponent on Saturday afternoon. Visit GoRhody.com for the opponent and time of Rhode Island's first round game, which will be played Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Rhody put itself in Friday's predicament after losing two games by 2-1 scores last weekend when the Rams were ranked No. 21 in the nation and were just 3:54 from taking over first-place in the conference.

The Rams were out-shot 8-2 in the first half against UMass, and if it wasn't for a diving save by junior goalkeeper Dean Ruddy (Mt. Prospect, Ill.), Rhody would have been trailing at the half.

The Rams picked it up after intermission, out-shooting the Minutemen 12-4. Ruddy made a diving one-handed save to prevent a goal when the game was still scoreless on his way to posting his fourth shutout of the season with five saves. Massachusetts goalkeeper Colin Burns made four saves in net.

The Rams got on the board 13:07 into the second half when Gonsalves served the ball up to Tumicz who took off on a breakaway down the right side of the field, then cut back across front of the goal about 15 yards out and booted a shot into the upper left corner of the goal for his third tally of the season and a 1-0 lead.

Rhody had a few chances to increase the lead, and finally did with just under seven minutes left. Gotsmanov, the nation's leader in goals and points, took the ball up the right side and used some very fancy footwork to juke three defenders as he dribbled across the goal to the left post. Despite possibly having a shot of his own, he dumped the ball backward without looking to Borman who blasted a shot into the back of the net for his third tally of the season.

Gotsmanov now has a nation-leading 46 points and 19 goals in 19 games this season. He has 88 career points, which puts him fifth on the URI all-time list, pushing current Rhode Island assistant coach and Rhody standout Gareth Elliott down to sixth on the list.