October 8, 2008

RAMS HIT THE ROAD FOR KEY CAA MATCH-UP WITH JMU
Black and Gold look to keep momentum on its side
Weekly Notes

HARRISONBURG, Va. – In order to be a player in the race for the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Championship, teams must be able to win on the road. The Virginia Commonwealth University men’s soccer team does not have to wait long for its first road test as it makes the drive up I-64 West to take on the Dukes of James Madison in a 7 p.m. contest.

In a match-up of two regionally-ranked teams (VCU is 5th, JMU is 9th), the Rams will look to keep momentum on their side after a thrilling 3-0 home defeat of Hofstra last Saturday. The challenge is not an easy one as the Dukes are unbeaten at home this year with a perfect 5-0-0 record and are coming off home victories of William & Mary and Delaware last week.

VCU will rely on a balanced offensive attack once again as six different Rams registered a point in the win over Hofstra with junior Forsan Asad-Radwan (Amman, Jordan) having the biggest night with two first-half goals. His efforts earned him a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week.

The stifling Black and Gold defense is a big reason for the Rams’ success this season as VCU is holding its opponents just above one goal per game and just above 10 shots per contest. In the past five games, the backline has posted three shutouts and held its opponents to just three goals in the five-game span.

Junior Michael Denkewitz (Bremen, Germany) (right) has been outstanding since taking the field for the Rams as he has been a leader on defense and has scored two goals in just five games with the Black and Gold.

The two teams will take the pitch at 7 p.m., stay tuned for VCUathletics.com for live stats and a live in-game blog.