Richard Bland Takes 2-0 Shutout Past Visiting Harcum

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. – Sophomore Sukrija Dudic/Richmond and freshman Eduardo Pessoa/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil each scored goals to lead Richard Bland College to a 2-0 victory past Harcum (Pa.) College on Wednesday evening at Statesman Field. Freshmen Hussein Osman/Charlottesville and Miguel Ramos/Casal de Cambra, Portugal each contributed assists, while classmate and goalkeeper Justin Ennis/Gainesville posted the shutout for the host Statesmen (6-4-1) against the visiting Bears (8-3) in non-conference action. Richard Bland will remain at home on Saturday, October 1, at 1 p.m. against Patrick Henry Community College, ranked No. 13 in this week's NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Top 20 Poll.

"It was a great win for us against a very experienced team with strong players," said third-year head coach Eduardo de Souza. "We worked hard and did what we were supposed to do, and this match prepares us for our conference game on Saturday. I'm glad that Eduardo and Sukrija each got on the scoreboard with goals today ... just a great game."

Richard Bland took an early advantage at 16:53 when Osman played a nice through-ball in behind the defense that Pessoa executed perfectly with a shot that beat the Harcum keeper to the far right corner. It was the team-leading eighth goal of the season for Pessoa, and the second assist this fall for Osman, as it remained 1-0 at the intermission of the well-played contest.

The Statesmen added to their margin with another goal at 73:50 when Ramos played an excellent through-ball behind the defense that Dudic collected and beat the keeper with his shot to near post. It was the third goal of the campaign for Dudic, who led last year's squad with 14 goals, while the team-best fifth assist this fall for Ramos.

The Richard Bland team defense and Ennis took care of the rest against the high-powered Harcum offense that had scored 47 goals in 10 matches prior to today's contest. Ennis started and played the entire 90 minutes in front of the net for the Statesmen, posting a collegiate-best six saves for his second shutout of the season.

Harcum finished with a 13-4 advantage in shots against Richard Bland, including 6-3 in attempts on goal, while the Bears had a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.

Saturday's match against No. 13 Patrick Henry is another Region X Conference contest. Richard Bland will be looking to avenge a 3-2 road setback at PHCC earlier this season on September 17.