Score: VCU 1, UMass 0
Location: Amherst, Mass. (Rudd Field)
Records: VCU 1-3-4 (1-0-1), UMass 3-4-2 (0-2-0)
 
THE SHORT STORY: In the final minutes of VCU Men's Soccer's first Atlantic 10 victory of the season, William Hitchcock headed home the game winner on a perfect corner delivery from Gerardo Castillo to knock off UMass on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

"For the third game in a row, I thought we were excellent in many of the phases of play," said Head Coach Dave Giffard. "Sadly we haven't been rewarded the last two as we had some other things that we did that stopped us from taking all three points. Today, though it was meant to be.

"We were rewarded for the control of the game that we have had for the last three games and got all three points away from home in a place that isn't easy to get three points. Today we can enjoy the result before we start to prepare for Marshall on Wednesday at home."
 
PITCH SIDE

• Hitchcock's game winner came in the 88th minute
• It was Hitchcock's second goal of the season, both from set pieces
• For the season, it was Castillo's first assist
• Castillo added a team-high two shots on goal
• Between the pipes, VCU got 90 strong minutes from goalkeeper John Ermini, with the VCU keeper making four stops to record his second shutout of the season
• Jonathan Kanagwa, Andrey Salmeron and Hitchcock each had two shots
• VCU out shot UMass 13-to-9, with both sides matching each other with four shots on goal
• The Rams were pushing the tempo all match, getting called offside seven times, with several being extremely close to the line
• VCU earned 11 corner kicks to UMass' five, doubling UMass' corner output in the second half
• The win keeps VCU unbeaten in conference play

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Castillo opened the match with a shot on goal that was saved in the ninth minute as the tempo was set early
• As the opening 45 minutes came to an end, the Rams picked up the pace getting a shot on goal in the 42nd minute from Leonel Vergara
• VCU followed that up with three corner kicks over the final four minutes, including a shot from Salmeron
• In the 68th minute the Rams got another shot on goal from Castillo
• Several close offside calls during the second half of the match showcased VCU's aggressive play as they searched for a game winner
• In the 88th minute, the Rams earned a corner and Castillo headed to the flag
• Castillo's looping ball fell right to a leaping Hitchcock who used his head to send it into the far-left corner and past a diving UMass keeper
• The Rams then defended their lead over the final two minutes to come away from UMass with their first Atlantic 10, and first overall victory of the season

 
UP NEXT: The Rams return home on Sept. 27 to play host of No. 1 Marshall at Sports Backers Stadium, before heading back on the road for an A-10 matchup at Loyola Chicago on Sept. 30.