FINAL: VCU 3, Richmond 1 (Richmond, Va.)

VCU Starters: #89 Carden (GK), #7 Kunz, #8 Conrad, #9 Granados, #10 Cressy, #12 Edgcomb, #15 Moore, #20 Acosta, #23 Hovanesian, #32 Boyer, and #33 Johansen

RICHMOND STARTERS: #99 Young (GK), #5 Alvarez, #7 Parisi, #9 Miller, #10 LeClair, #13 Smith,  #15 Koczot, #19 Lybert, #20 Williams, #21 Wann and #25 Riefner

THE BASICS: Senior Wendy Acosta, who converted a pair of penalty kicks in the 12th and 74th minutes, and junior Courtney Conrad (53rd minute) scored three unanswered goals to push VCU past cross-town rival Richmond 3-1 on Friday night at Sports Backers Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Richmond (7-8-1, 3-3-1 A-10) began the match on the attack firing three shots in the first eight minutes. The Spiders' first chance came in the fifth minute when Natalie LeClair had a look, which was blocked. Crystal Koczot then fired back the rebound high.
• Three minutes later, Kristen Lybert put the Spiders in front 1-0. LeClair dished to Lybert in the box, who sent a shot through traffic into the right corner of the net.
• After Richmond went ahead, VCU's (10-4-3, 5-2-0) offense went to work. Conrad fired the Rams' first shot, but Richmond goalkeeper Andrea Young made the save.
• Following a foul in the box a minute later, Acosta converted her first penalty kick of the night, beating Young to the right.
• In the 43^rd minute, the Spiders had a golden opportunity to regain the lead. Becca Wann sent a header toward the net following a corner, but Acosta cleared the ball away from the goal line to keep the game tied.
• The Rams eventually took the lead for the good in the 53^rd minute. Sophomore Maren Johansen found Conrad in the box, where the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native fired a shot off the left post and into the net.
• Richmond tried to get even in the 70^th minute when LeClair had a chance in the box; however, senior goalkeeper Kristin Carden was there for her second save.
• The Spiders committed another foul in the box in the 74th minute, and Acosta converted her second PK, this time to the left.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Prior to the match, VCU honored its nine seniors. The class has more than 30 wins in four seasons, including a run to the CAA Championship match in 2011.
• Acosta scored her eighth and ninth goals of the season, while Conrad added her 10^th. Conrad's goal was also her fifth game-winning goal of the season.
• Johansen added her fourth assist.
• The Spiders held a 12-8 advantage in shots, but the Rams finished with an 8-4 edge in shots on goal.
• The result was VCU's 10^th win of the season, surpassing last year's nine-win campaign. The 10 victories are the Rams' most since 2007 (11 wins).
• VCU has won three straight and five of its last six matches, outscoring its opponents 15-3 during that span.

QUOTABLE:
"That was a great game and we're really proud of our team.  [Both teams] battled and it was like a city championship.  It was back and forth and both teams played well.  Richmond is a tough team to beat…  We won this game for our seniors.  Our goal was to honor them with the win.  It's a very loyal class, [they're] resilient and tough.  They are just fighters and I'm glad we were able to give them that win tonight."
-VCU Co-Head Coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak

"Wendy showed great composure.  She had a great game.  Defensively, she was tough but to be able to put away two PKs in one game, that's a tough job to do.  We're proud that she was able to do that."
-Roberts Sahaydak on the play of Wendy Acosta

"I'm just looking to help my team and do my best [when I line up to take a PK].  I don't think too much.  I just want to help to my team."
-Senior Wendy Acosta on scoring two penalty kicks 

WHAT'S AHEAD:
The Rams conclude the 2012 regular season with road matches at Xavier (Oct. 26) and Dayton (Oct. 28).  The Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament begins Nov. 1 in Kingston, R.I.