User:Quidster4040/sandbox/VCU Rams men's soccer seasons/2010

The 2010 VCU Rams men's soccer team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2010 NCAA Division I men's soccer season.

In the team's history, this was the first time they were no led by former head coach, Tim O'Sullivan who was released of his coaching duties following a poor showing in 2009. Dave Giffard, a former assistant coach for the University of Akron Zips took over managerial duties. In his first season, the Rams finished second in the regular season, posting their best performance since their dynasty run from 2001 through 2004.

August
Ahead of the Rams' 2010 season, the team played two preseason friendlies against the two national finalists in the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, their instate, intra-conference rivals, the Virginia Cavaliers, and the Akron Zips, the former university where Giffard was an assistant at. Both matches ended in defeats for the Rams, losing 1–0 to the Cavaliers and 3–1 to the Zips.

September
The regular season began with the Rams hosting the 2010 edition of the VCU Tournament, which involved the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. Played from September 4–6, the Rams played the Eagles in the first match, which ended in a 2–1 overtime defeat. The match saw the Rams opening the scoresheet thanks to a 16th-minute goal from Yoram Mwila, only for FGCU's Delon Jones to tie in the 40th minute, and for the Eagles' Matt Oshaughnessy to score the golden goal moments prior to end of overtime.

On September 6, the Rams concluded the tournament through a 2–0 victory against Coastal Carolina. C. J. Gehin-Scott and Peter Lee netted the two goals for the Rams.

Continuing their interconference play, the Rams traveled to Spartansburg, South Carolina to take on the Wofford Terriers, in a match that ended in a scoreless draw. Following a September 10 tie, the Rams hosted two non-CAA opponents, the Howard Bison and their crosstown rivals, the Richmond Spiders. The Rams played the Bison and the Spiders on September 12 and 15, respectively. The Rams earned a 3–0 victory against Howard before a 3–1 victory against Richmond.

The two-match winning streak ended, with two-consecutive draws, drawing instate, interconference rivals, Longwood, 1–1. The September 22 draw against Longwood came thanks to a late 81st minute equalizer from Gehin-Scott. Subsequently, the Rams hosted Northeastern to open up intra-conference play. The September 25 match ended in 2–2 draw, after VCU surrendered two one-goal leads.

Concluding the month, the Rams played at Georgia State, where the Rams posted a crucial 2–0 road victory. Jason Johnson netted both goals for the Rams, scoring in the 25th and 87th minutes.

November
The final month of the Rams' 2010 campaign involved two final regular season matches and a CAA tournament match. The opening game of the month was a regular season match on November 3, at James Madison. The Rams rallied from a 1–0 deficit to take 3–1 lead, before the Dukes added a consolation goal in the 85th minute. The win ensured VCU's place in the CAA tournament, as well as a bye to the tournament semi-finals. The berth, marked the first time since 2007 that the Rams qualified for the CAA Men's Soccer Tournament.

Four days later, the Rams concluded the regular season with a 1–0 loss at Delaware, in a match where the Rams fielded primarily reserve players, in order to rest their starters for the CAA tournament.

On November 12, the Rams opened their tournament campaign against third-place Hofstra at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, Virginia. Previously the two sides played to a 1–1 draw back in October. For the first 75 minutes of play, the match remained gridlocked at zero. In the 76th minute, VCU's Alberto Fonseca netted the opening goal giving the Rams a 1–0 lead. However, the lead was short-lived, as Hofstra's Tyler Botte drew the Pride level 10 minutes later, only for the Pride to take the lead in the 90th minute, with five seconds remaining in regulation. Hofstra's Johannes Grann scored the match-winning goal. Hofstra would eventually end up as the CAA Tournament runners-up, losing to William & Mary in the final.

Despite the semifinal elimination in the CAA Tournament, the Rams looked to be possible contenders to receive an at-large bid into the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. However, the NCAA opted to select the Old Dominion Monarchs as the CAA's lone at-large bid.

Match results
''Lists of matches, featuring result, attendance (where available) and scorers, grouped by competition (league, cup, other competition). Do not include friendly matches.''

Preseason
All times in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).