After coming up short against George Mason, VCU Women’s Soccer looked to turn the page against Richmond. In this newest chapter of this cross-town derby, defense was on the menu as the Rams kept the Spiders grounded in victory formation.

The Rams came out firing in the 1^st half. Samantha Jerabek nearly had the opening goal near the 3’ minute mark but the crossbar denied her chance. Alyssa Tallent and Ingrid Brouwer also had opportunities that just spun wide. Kimberly Ito scored the opening goal for VCU in the 25’ minute. Julia Suarez connected with Ito with a cross as she scored her second goal of the year.

Richmond had a difficult time creating offensive chances. The Rams were able to smother the Spiders with ball control and defensive pressure across the pitch. UR was able to muster up a pair of chances late that could not hit the back of the net. VCU connected on 8 strikes in the first 45 minutes and held a 1-0 lead after the half-time whistle.

The defense continued being VCU’s strength in the 2^nd half. Audrey Sanderson kept the ball away from her position in goal while the backline kept Richmond’s forwards in check. Strikes were scarce for Richmond with only 8 shots for the match.

Suarez made a handful of plays to jumpstart the Black & Gold offense. The junior forward created chances with her footwork and had some corner kick opportunities that nearly doubled VCU’s lead. Late in the 2^nd half, Tallent got a header on target that was saved by the Spiders.

Things nearly got chippy as Richmond sent a chip towards goal that forced Sanderson to make a leaping save near closing time. One final corner kick for Richmond was cleared away by the Rams in the final moments as the 2^nd half came to a dramatic end. VCU bounced back with 3 points against their cross-town rivals in a 1-0 victory on the road.

VCU improves to 3-2-2 in Atlantic 10 play with 11 points. The Rams return home to Sports Backers on Sunday, October 15^th for a conference match against St. Bonaventure.

Mark Turner

Mark graduated from VCU in 2014 with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. He started as a fan of the Black & Gold in the stands his freshman year. Mark was known as "Kazie" for his charismatic fandom with the VCU's student organization the Rowdy Rams. While at VCU he gained experience in sports media with WVCW on a sports radio show called Rowdy Radio. Following graduation, Mark continued crafting his social media skills with the Richmond Kickers while also handling VCU coverage. He is a true fan of the Rams and vocally passionate on and off camera. After the final whistle, you can probably find him at local RVA bar or brewery enjoying a drink and conversation.