FLUSHING, N.Y. – Returning to non-conference play Tuesday evening, the Queens College men's soccer team welcomed the Tigers of Holy Family University to QC Soccer Field.
With senior goalie
Dario Giovanni Cruz (Guadalajara, México) denying the Tigers on a penalty kick in the final minute of the first half, the Knights would turn on the pressure in the second half before sophomore
Adolfo Martinez Paquet (Sevilla, Spain) and freshman
David Oprea (Oslo, Norway) tallied back-to-back goals in two minutes to lead the Knights to 2-0 shutout victory over the Tigers.
With the win, the Knights improved to 10-5 overall as they earned their 10
th win of the season. For the second time under fifth-year head coach
Frank Vertullo, the Knights have tallied 10 wins in a season since the 2018 season when Queens finished the season 10-4-3 overall.
Queens have tallied their fourth double-digit wins tally in program history. The first 10-digit win came in 2008 in their second year of restarting the program as the Knights went 10-6-2 before notching a program record 11 wins in 2009.
It was another grueling battle for the Knights as the non-conference match saw a combined 38 fouls, five yellows, and one straight red card, Queens started the game hot as they notched three shots in the first 10 minutes of play but were unable to land any on target.
The Knights would have their best chance of taking an early lead in the 25
th minute of play as freshman
Finlay Armond (Sleaford, England) was unable to complete the through ball as the rookie shot went out top.
The Tigers would start to take over in the final 15 minutes of play in the first half as Cruz was called upon to make a save in the 32
nd minute. The Knights would respond on the opposite end but sophomore
Jose Mendez (Queens, N.Y.) shot off the corner was denied in the 37
th minute of play by the Tigers goalie towards the bottom right of the net.
With two minutes remaining until halftime, a tackle would give the Tigers a penalty kick but Cruz would deliver with the big-time save as the two-time East Coast Conference Defender of the Week saved the shot heading towards his right before the senior made another save on the rebound shot before Paquet blocked the third shot on goal as both teams went into halftime with the game still scoreless.
The Tigers started the second half as the aggressors as a Knights' foul gave the visitors a free kick near the 18-yard box just 18 seconds in before the defenders blocked the shot heading toward the goal.
As the tigers earned a corner kick, Cruz would deny the Tigers in the 47
th minute as the senior made his fourth save of the evening.
After the 50
th minute of play, Queens would turn on the jets as a straight red card was called on the Tigers in the 53
rd minute of play. Playing a man-up, the Knights found the rhythm as they maintained the possession for the remainder of the game.
As junior
Nicholas Tagios's (East Williston, N.Y.) shot in the 56
th minute was blocked, sophomore
Juan Monge Allue (Zaragoza, Spain) would be denied his first goal of the season as the Tigers goalie deflected the shot before the ball rocketed off the crossbar denying the Knights their first goal of the game.
Queens would continue to press Holy Family defenders as they fended off the visitors from their attacking half.
Tagios would be denied in the 69
th minute as the junior looked for his third goal of the season but the Tigers would continue to keep the home side off the scoreboard.
Paquet would be denied on back-to-back shots before the Knights earned a corner kick. Off a Paquet's corner kick, a handball by Holy Family would earn the Knights a penalty kick in the 74
th minute of play, their fifth of the season.
Paquet would step up to the task for the fourth time this season and the sophomore continued his perfect streak of converting penalty kicks as he beat the Tigers goalie to give Queens a 1-0 lead.
Having taken the late lead, senior
Brian Garay (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and freshman
Santiago Vargas (Bethpage, N.Y.) would deliver back-to-back long balls in the 76
th minute of play before Oprea completed a header in the air from the 18-yard box for his fourth goal of the season over the Tigers defender and goalie into the bottom right corner for a 2-0 commanding lead.
The Knights would finish the game without any pressure as they earned their 10
th win of the season and seventh shutout of the season.
Match Highlights
- Paquet tallied his team-leading seventh goal of the season and his fifth game-winner of the season.
- While Oprea notched his fourth goal of the season as Garay and Vargas combined for the assist on Oprea's goal.
- In goal, Cruz made four saves on the afternoon earning his seventh shutout of the season.
- Queens outshot Holy Family 22-9 (6-4 shots on goal), with the 22 shots being a season-high.
UP NEXT: Continuing non-conference action, Head coach
Frank Vertullo and his Knights welcome the Bears of Bloomfield College to Flushing on Saturday (Oct. 15) evening in their annual Senior Night. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), Twitter (@QCKnights), and Instagram (qcknightsny), men's soccer (qcmsoccer).
