Rio men tame Lions in NAIA tourney opener

Rio Grande Sports Information
     WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - On a day when intermittent snow showers were the norm, it was a barrage of goals early in the second half by the University of Rio Grande which buried Bryan (Tenn.) College's hopes for victory.
     The RedStorm scored the game's first marker late in the first half, but it was a trio of scores in a span of just over 5-1/2 minutes early in the second stanza that put things on ice - literally - in an eventual 5-0 triumph over the Lions in the opening round of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship, Thursday afternoon, at arctic-like UC Soccer Complex on the campus of the University of the Cumberlands.
     Rio Grande improved to 12-4-1 with an 11th straight win and an eighth consecutive shutout, advancing to Saturday's second round matchup with the site host - and 10th-ranked - Patriots.
     The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the tourney's final site in Wichita, Kansas for the Round of 16 beginning Dec. 2.
     Bryan, the champion of the Appalachian Athletic Conference, finished its season at 11-4-3 with the loss.
     The Lions were dominated from the start, managing just one shot in the contest, yet their deficit stood at just 1-0 as the second half began.
     Rio scored what proved to be the only goal it would need with 9-1/2 minutes left before the intermission when freshman David Palade (Constanta, Romania) found the back of the net off a dual assist from sophomore Rafael Kawata (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and senior Scott Gray (Strathaven, Scotland).
     Head coach Scott Morrissey's squad settled the issue - as they have done on more than one occasion during their win streak - with a second half blitz.
     Freshman Estevao Goncalves (Sao Paulo, Brazil) got the bombardment underway exactly eight minutes into the second period when he scored off of another assist by Kawata to make it 2-0.
     Gray then scored off of a free kick just 2:35 later and Palade netted his second score just 63 seconds after that to give the RedStorm a commanding 4-0 advantage.
     Freshman Hugo Ferreira (Paris, France), making his varsity debut as a late roster add-on due to injury, set the final score with 45 seconds left in the match when he found the back of the net off of a crossing pass by freshman Felipe Braga (Presidente Prudente, Brazil).
     Rio Grande finished with a 21-1 edge in overall shots and a 14-1 advantage in shots on goal. The RedStorm also had five of the six corner kick opportunities in the contest.
     Senior keeper Matheus de Campos (Brasilia, Brazil) had the one save in goal for Rio Grande.
     Jack Smith had nine saves in the loss for Bryan.
     Rio Grande, which dropped a 4-2 decision to Cumberlands during the regular season as part of a five-game winless stretch, has outscored its opposition, 47-2, since snapping the streak.
     Saturday's match is set for a 3 p.m. kickoff.