URI blanks Maine

ORONO – University of Rhode Island senior fullback-midfielder and tricaptain Peter Dos Santos has spent most of his career trying to keep the ball out of his net.

But, on Sunday, after being moved up to midfield, he scored a rare goal and it was all the Rams needed to beat Maine 1-0 at Alumni Field.

Dos Santos’ second career goal came at the 65:08 mark and former Orono High School three-sport standout Mitch Stone registered the shutout with help from his friends and a little luck.

Stone was credited with two saves; Maine’s Jake Ouimet missed a great chance; Paul Kelly’s blistering free kick plunked off the goalpost and URI fullback Stephen Froberg headed a Jeff Hough shot off the goal line.

Dos Santos’ goal came off a scramble created by a Mike McDermott free kick.

Maine goalie Seb D’Appolonia was unable to get the right-to-left cross and the ball was knocked around in the penalty area.

“Ryan Snyder headed it back to me and I just hit it hard and low (to the far side),” said Dos Santos about his 12-yarder. “I didn’t have much to shoot at. I hoped it would go in off somebody.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” added Dos Santos.

“It snuck under my left arm,” said D’Appolonia, who felt he should have snared the cross.

The 6-foot-3, 165-pound Stone, a 20-year-old freshman, never had to make a difficult save but was very aggressive coming off his line and snaring crosses.

“This feels great,” said Stone. “I had been looking forward to this game for a while. I grew up in Orono watching Maine play but I had never played on this field.

“I thought I played pretty well,” added Stone. “I was able to get to a lot of crosses. The team played a solid game in front of me.”

URI outplayed Maine in the first half but Ouimet had the only great scoring chance as he sprinted to the front of the net only to lift a nice pass from Mike Dunphy over the crossbar.

“I should have put it to the far post,” said Ouimet.

Maine played better in the second half but URI, led by sweeper Eric Nelson, continued to play very well defensively.

Just prior to the Dos Santos goal, Kelly’s 26-yard free kick tailed into the near side goalpost.

Seven minutes after the URI goal, Hough flicked Paulo Nunes’ corner over Stone’s head but Froberg saved the day with his header.

“That’s my job,” said Froberg who also hustled over to deflect a Dunphy shot off a partial break-in late in the game, resulting in an easy save for Stone.

Stone’s two saves came on 13 shots for 1-2 URI, which beat Maine for the first time since 1988. D’Appolonia stopped six of 16 shots for 1-1 Maine.