Rudolph's 89th-Minute Goal Lifts GW Men's Soccer Over Bryant, 3-2
September 17, 2011
Rudolph's 89th-Minute Goal Lifts GW Men's Soccer Over Bryant, 3-2
Colonials and Bulldogs Trade Five Goals in Final 25 Minutes
WASHINGTON - Junior forward Seth Rudolph capped a frenzied second half with the game-winning goal in the 89th minute to propel the George Washington men's soccer team past Bryant, 3-2, at Mount Vernon Field on Saturday.
Scoreless through more than 64 minutes of action, the two teams tallied five goals over the final 25:14, including Rudolph's scintillating finish with 86 seconds remaining in regulation.
With the match headed toward overtime knotted at 2-2, sophomore Bailey Hinners played Rudolph loose into the 18-yard box and the speedy forward chipped the ball over charging Bryant goalkeeper George Spanos for the deciding goal with 1:26 showing on the clock.
Rudolph cleared the Bulldogs' last minute throw-in into the box and the Colonials, cheered on by a large gathering of soccer alumni for GW's Alumni Weekend, celebrated their second straight victory.
GW improves to 2-2-1 overall and will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., for the Jacksonville Tournament next weekend. The Colonials take on the host Dolphins Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
Bryant (0-3-1) struck first in the 65th minute when Connor Norat nodded in Shane Murphy's corner kick to the near post.
GW responded quickly with a pair of goals in a span of 93 seconds to grab a 2-1 lead.
Just under two minutes after Norat's opening goal, junior midfielder Zach Abaie equalized with a mighty 30-yard blast to the upper right corner past an outstretched Spanos, who was marginally off his line before Abaie's shot on the turn.
The Colonials took the lead less than two minutes later when senior Yoni Berhanu deposited a brilliant, curling strike across the box into the right side of goal. Berhanu was set up by sophomore Alex Sandland and Rudolph on the play.
GW carried the momentum from that point, but a mistake in its defensive third led to a penalty-kick equalizer for Bryant in the 81st minute. Freshman Joe Holleranattempted to chest down a ball at the edge of the 18, but the referee determined it struck his arm and awarded a penalty. Nicholas Parisi converted his second penalty in as many games to bring the Bulldogs level with 9:25 remaining to set up Rudolph's late-match heroics.Junior goalkeeper Alejandro Almodovar made three saves on nine shots faced to earn his second victory in as many matches. Spanos also totaled three saves on 10 shots from GW.
The three points for Rudolph mark his 12th career multi-point match and brings his career totals to 17 goals and 37 points through 40 matches. Berhanu now has 11 goals and 11 assists for his career.
The victory is the 193rd of head coach George Lidster's career. Lidster will retire at the conclusion of the 2011 season after 24 years with the program.
