Rhode Island (1-3-0)
Starters:Â Maynes (GK), Tanddo, Kalina, Peter, Krause, Barriguinha, Mueller, Husterer, Froberg, Goba, Yurkovic
Substitutes: Bruning, Goglia, Kuemmritz, Harris, Schwab, Galiotos, Monteiro
Merrimack (1-1-2)
Starters: Malaguti (GK), LaBelle, DelGiudice, Zunec, Vallocchia, Day, Bosio, Barakat, Baisch, Zani, Catterina
Substitutes: Iaia, Di Turi, Grigoryan, Salvadge
Scoring Summary
28:25 – MER- Baisch (unassisted)
42:15 - MER - Grigoryan (unassisted)
52:34 - URI - Barriguinha (penalty kick)
61:59 - MER - Munec (Zani)
How it Happened
Merrimack jumped out early with a pair of first-half goals and held off URI for a 3-1 victory Wednesday for the victory.Â
Lean Husterer nearly got Rhody on the board in the ninth minute. He got his right foot on the ball for a shot inside the box, but Merrimack keeper Matteo Malagutti dove to his right to slap the shot away.
Merrimack took the lead in the 29th minute when Pedro Baisch landed a bicycle kick in the box. The ball bounced around the box off a corner kick before Baisch snuck the shot inside the near post. The visitors added to the lead in the 43rd minute. A long clearance was misplayed by Rhody, and Vlad Grigoryan worked his way through a trio of Ram defenders before slipping a shot in.
Rhode Island cut the deficit in the 53rd minute. With the game getting chippy, Merrimack's John LaBelle was issued a red card for serious foul play. The foul occurred in the box, giving Rhode Island a penalty kick.
Tiago Barriguinha buried the shot to make the score 2-1.
Merrimack reclaimed the momentum in the 62nd minute. Salvatore Zani carried the ball deep into the corner and sent a low cross to Bor Zunec, who fired a low shot past keeper
Jack Maynes for a 3-1 lead.
Rhody was unable to close the gap over the final 28 minutes.
Inside the Box Score
- Tiago Barriguinha scored on a penalty kick for the second straight match.
- He now has five career goals with Rhody, all on penalty kicks.
- Jack Maynes made his first start in goal for the Rams. He made one save.
- First-year defender Vasili Galiotos made his collegiate debut, playing the final 27 minutes.
- The match was chippy throughout. Both sides earned three yellows, with Merrimack also getting one red card.
Up Next
Rhode Island starts a five-game road swing at in-state rival Providence on Monday, Sept. 7. The match will begin at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
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