Sept. 3, 2007

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KINGSTON, R.I. - Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) posted a nine-save shutout as the 22nd-ranked Rhode Island men's soccer team blanked in-state rival Providence, 2-0, on Monday night at the URI Soccer Complex. Seniors Steve Mellen (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztynek, Poland) each scored goals for the Rams.

URI took the lead in the 42nd minute when redshirt freshman Andres Ruiz (Providence, R.I.) moved the ball through the Friars' defense and tapped a quick pass to Mellen, who blasted the ball past PC's Timothy Murray and into the top left corner of the net. Rhody carried the momentum into the second half as Tumicz volleyed a pass from senior Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) over Murray at the 45:27 mark.

The Rams were forced to play the game's final 20 minutes a man down as sophomore Domenic Petrarca (Providence, R.I.) was red-carded at 70:51. The Friars had some of their best chances as the clock wound down but a solid Rhode Island defense and a few key saves by Pennock earned the Rams the win.

"We had to make some adjustments out there tonight - especially playing a man down," said head coach John O'Connor. "But the guys responded well. There's a lot of pride and emotion that goes into this rivalry and its even better to win this one at home in front out our fans. We really want to thank everyone that came out to support us tonight. The guys definitely feed off of the crowd's energy so its great to look out there and see the stands completely filled and fans all along the sidelines!"

For the game, URI was outshot, 18-14, and out-cornered, 6-2, by the Friars. Freshman Dwayne Williams (Westmoreland, Jamaica) and senior Callum Bissett (Pencaitland, Scotland) each received yellow cards as did Providence's Ryan Maduro, Alex Bury and Alex Redding.

"This was an important win for us," added O'Connor. "It gives us the confidence we need heading into next weekend when we'll play two top-10 teams."

URI will now travel to South Bend, Ind. for two games at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament, Sept. 7-9. The Rams will face host team and ninth-ranked (Soccer America) Notre Dame on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and No. 7 (NSCAA) Indiana at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.