PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- After forcing overtime with the game-tying goal in the 89th minute of regulation, junior forward Emmanuel Asiedu (Lincoln, RI) ripped a penalty kick into the back of the net in the 95th minute to send the Rhode Island College men's soccer team to a 3-2 comeback victory over Bridgewater State on Wednesday night at the RIC Soccer Field in non-conference action.
Winners of three straight tilts, Rhode Island College improves to 4-1-2 on the year, while Bridgewater State falls to 2-3. The Anchormen have gone to overtime in five of their seven games this season and own a 3-0-2 record in those contests.
With a little less than six minutes remaining in the first overtime period, Asiedu drew a foul just inside of the box after streaking down the left side of the field and getting bumped by a BSU defender. Asiedu was awarded a penalty kick and promptly blasted a shot past senior goalkeeper Matt Bagley (Braintree, MA) to seal the victory. It was the second goal of the game for Asiedu, his fifth goal of the year, and also the second time this season that Asiedu won the game for Rhode Island College with a penalty kick in overtime.
With the hosts trailing by a goal in the waning minutes of regulation, it was Asiedu who gave the Anchormen new life in the final stages of the second half. RIC junior forward Kevin Stone (Wakefield, RI) set up for a throw-in and lobbed a pass into the top left corner of the box. Junior defender Kwasi Boateng (East Hartford, CT) gathered the feed in traffic and managed to head the ball over to the opposite side of the box. Boateng's header ricocheted off a pair of BSU defenders and bounced towards Asiedu, who fired a bicycle kick past Bagley to knot the score at two.
The game began in quiet fashion, as neither team could get on the scoreboard until the 37th minute of action, when a Rhode Island College foul set up a free kick from about 30 yards out for freshman defender Camilo Mora (Houston, TX). Mora belted a towering ball into the box that was headed home by a diving BSU senior forward Craig Shadduck (Braintree, MA) for the first score of the game.
The Anchormen got even with the Bears in the second half and knotted the score at one thanks to an unassisted score from freshman midfielder Anderson Monteiro (Pawtucket, RI). Following a corner kick from Asiedu, Monteiro gathered the crossing pass and laced a shot towards Bagley. The shot was quickly blocked by a Bridgewater State defender, but Monteiro regained possession off the rebound and again fired a rocket from the top of the box that skipped past Bagley and into the net to make it, 1-1.
After nearly 30 minutes of scoreless action, the Bears jumped ahead, 2-1, in the 85th minute thanks to Shadduck's second tally of the evening. BSU senior defender Luke Samperi (North Easton, MA) lined up for a free kick on the left side of the field from about 35 yards out and launched a ball towards the back post. As RIC freshman goalkeeper Chris Moura (Rumford, RI) went to intercept the crossing feed, the ball slipped through his hands and fell into the lap of Shadduck, who chipped it in and gave BSU what would prove to be a short-lived, 2-1, lead.
The Anchormen outshot Bridgewater State, 20-11, and held an, 11-5, advantage in shots during the second half. RIC also held a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Moura made two saves in the win to improve to 3-1-2, while Bagley (2-3) stopped five shots in the loss.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon at one. Rhode Island College will open Little East Conference play at home against UMass Dartmouth, while Bridgewater State travels to Framingham State to take on the Rams in the MASCAC opener for both teams.