Tanner's goal Lifts Monarchs over No. 15 VCU, 1-0

ODU Junior Mabricio Wilson

NORFOLK, Va. (October 23) -- On senior night, Old Dominion senior forward JimmyTanner(Syracuse, NY) capitalized on a penalty kick at the 48:00 mark to lead theMonarchs over #15 Virginia Commonwealth, 1-0, in CAA soccer action. With thewin, Old Dominion (11-2-0, 6-0-0) maintains first place in the CAA, while theRams (9-4-1, 4-2-0) drop into a tie for second place with Richmond, whichknocked off James Madison earlier in the night.

Both teams played to a scoreless draw in the first half of play, with theRams holding a slight advantage in shots at 5-4. But early in the second half,VCU committed a foul inside the box, leading to Tanner's fateful penalty kick.

On the stroke, Tanner blasted the ball deep into the far left side as Ramskeeper Adam Mead made the diving save attempt. It was Tanner's 15th goal of theseason, tops in the CAA.

Both teams had several scoring opportunities in the second half, withVCU?s Emmanuel Tetiot lofting a shot just inches over the goal with less thanfive minutes to play and Tanner missing two one-on-one's.

The game demonstrated magnificent defensive play as Mead recorded threesaves in the second half and Old Dominion senior keeper Chuck Connelly(Rockville, MD).

registered six saves and helped the Monarch defense shutdown a frustratedduo of All-CAA forwards in VCU's Kevin Jeffrey and Ricardo Capilla.

For the Monarchs, it marks the first time in team history that they havewon six CAA games, while they continue to improve upon their best season since1991. The team travels to CAA-foe Richmond on Tuesday night, October 26, at 7:30 pm. Awin or a tie,and the Monarchs clinch their first-ever CAA regular season title.

SCORING SUMMARYVCU  0    0    0ODU  0    1    1

ODU 48:00 Jimmy Tanner on a penalty kick

SHOTS: VCU (12), ODU (8)
CORNERS: VCU (4), ODU (4)
GOAL SAVES: VCU (3), ODU (6)
FOULS: VCU (10), ODU (17)