RHODE ISLAND (4-1-1)
Starters: Schmidt (GK), Nilsen, Walker, Koduah, Montoro, Oystese, Purcell, Drayer, Villanueva, Agyemang, Akselsen
Substitutes: Guerra, Castaneda, Ireland, Cannon, Kwitchoff
 
Brown (2-2-0)
Starters: Waldau (GK), Schwartz, Kina, Lawal, Crain, Mina, Waleffe, Elliott, Dadzie, Gee, Chung
Substitutes: Johnson, Pyetsukh, Adams, Atanda
 
Scoring Summary
5:54 – URI – Agyemang (Akselsen)
13:23 – BRN – Crain
60:52 – URI – Agyemang
84:58 – URI – Agyemang (Akselsen)

How it Happened
Patrick Agyemang recorded the hat trick, doing all the scoring for Rhode Island in a 3-1 win over in-state rival Brown Wednesday night.

Agyemang fended off three Brown defenders to give Rhody the lead in the 63rd minute. With the ball on his right foot, Agyemang worked around a defender and turned as he got the ball on his left foot before firing a shot past Brown keeper Max Waldau.

He put the match away in the 85th minute. Edvin Akselsen fed Agyemang into the right side of the box, and the striker gave a light chip to lift the ball over a diving Waldau to pick up his third goal of the night.

Rhody opened the match by applying heavy pressure early. After a diving header attempt by Isak Oystese went wide, a shot by Ivan Montoro was tipped over the crossbar by Waldau.

The relentless attack broke through in the sixth minute when Agyemang finished a cross from Edvin Akselsen. Akselsen got behind the Bears' defense on the right side and sent the ball through the box to a wide open Agyemang, who calmly settled the ball and found the back of the net for the early lead.

Brown tied the match just moments later. A corner kick by Kyle Gee caused heavy traffic in front of the net. Will Crain corralled a loose ball at the top of the box and sent a hard shot to the lower left corner for the quick equalizer.

Agyemang provided the Rams an excellent chance in the 17th minute, working possession to the left of Waldau. After getting around a pair of Brown defenders, Agyemang fed a cross to a hard-charging Akselsen, but his shot went well high over the net. In the 22nd minute, Akselsen set up Rafa Villanueva with a chip from the left side of the box, but the header was just wide.

Rhode Island caught a break in the final minute of the half. A long goal kick by Waldau led to a breakaway for Charlie Adams, whose shot got by URI keeper Stefan Schmidt, but went off the right post and bounced away.

Kojo Dadzie nearly gave Brown its first lead in the 52nd minute. His shot from well outside the boxed nearly curled under the crossbar, but the ball caromed away safely for the Rams.

Schmidt made two big saves during a Brown flurry with 20 minutes to go. Dadzie and Brady Van Epps got shots off in the box just six seconds apart, but Schmidt was up to the task both times. A third shot by Alex Mina was knocked away by the Rhody defense. Two minutes later Kyle Gee got a clean look from the top of the box, but he sent a shot well over the crossbar.

Inside the Box Score

• The hat trick for Patrick Agyemang was the first by a Rhode Island player since Matt Sykes scored three times in a 3-1 win over Bryant on Sept. 8, 2013.
• Agyemang has four goals and one assist over his last five matches.
• In 51 career collegiate matches, Agyemang now has 37 career goals. He had 30 in 39 matches for ECSU, and he has seven in 12 matches for URI.
• Graduate senior Edvin Akselsen had two assists, giving him 20 in 40 career matches.
• Rhode Island extended its unbeaten streak to five matches. The Rams are 4-0-1 over the span.
• Though Rhode Island had a slight edge in shots on goal (4-3) in the first half, the Rams had a dominant 13-6 advantage in total shots.
• Brown had a 9-6 edge in shots during the second half, but only four of the shots were on target.
• The Rams had a decisive 10-2 edge in corner kicks on the night.
• Brown's first 15 shots on goal this season resulted in 10 goals.

Up Next
Rhode Island opens Atlantic 10 play when it welcomes VCU to the URI Soccer Complex on Saturday, Sept. 18. The match begins at 7 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.