Drexel University
Virginia Commonwealth
McCaffery's Penalty Kick Gives Drexel Its First Victory Over VCU
10/1/2006 2:35:53 PM | Men's Soccer
Philadelphia, Pa. - In the 12th mintue of play freshman Anthony Bafile drew a foul inside the penalty box and sophomore Pat McCaffery successfully deposited the resulting penalty kick to give Drexel (5-5, 1-3 CAA) its first conference win of the season and first victory ever over Virginia Commonwealth (4-7-0, 2-2 CAA). A regional television audience saw the Dragons hold off the Rams on CN8.
While the first half of the match was played at a frenetic pace, the defense of both squads played well enough to preven the opposition from getting a shot on goal in the first half. McCaffery was able to capitalize on a penalty kick earned by Bafile when the freshman made a quick turn in the 18-yard box and carried the ball toward the goal on the right side. A host of Virginia Commonwealth defenders converged on Bafile to take him down for the foul.
Drexel held a slight 3-1 edge in shots at the end of the first half, but neither team generated another viable scoring opportunity. The Dragons maintained their defensive intensity in the second half and they would need all of it to hold off the attacking Rams.
In the 54th minute Virginia Commonwealth served a high bounding ball toward the top of the 18-yard box. Drexel keeper Cory Robertson charged out to challenge for the ball on front line. Robertson went up for a header against the Rams' Pat Viray and elevated just enough over the attacker to break up the play.
Senior defender Kwesi Klass showed his speed and composure in the 56th minute when Mattijs Maruanaya crossed the ball to Owusu Sekyere in the box. Sekyere dribbled the ball about three yards in front of the goal, but Klass sprinted over to divest him of the ball and clear it in one quick movement.
Robertson earned his third shutout of the season with a difficult save in the 66th minute. Virgina Commonwealth set up a corner kick which was served by Thomas Weingartner. Gerson Dos Santos went up for the header near the middle of the goal box and knodded it down toward the left side. Robertson dove to the ground and got a hand on the ball to keep it out of the goal. McCaffery promptly blasted it out of the box to end the threat.
Virginia Commonwealth would go on to out-corner Drexel 4-2 in the half and edge the Dragons 7-6 in shots in the contest. But the Dragons strung together some quality offensive build ups to maintain posession and prevent the Rams from finding their offensive rhythm. Andrew Dykstra made one save in the net for Virginia Commonwealth, on a blast by Dominick Balsamo near the end of the second half.
The win squares Drexel's record at 5-5 and marks the first time in five meetings that the Dragons have beaten the Rams. Virginia Commonwealth had been ranked as high as 19th in the nation by Soccer America polls this season.
Drexel travels to play conference foes Towson and George Mason next weekend.
