SPARKILL, N.Y. – Returning to East Coast Conference play, the Queens College men's soccer team hit the road for the final time this regular season with a trip to Sparkill, New York as they matched up against the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College Saturday afternoon at Spartan Field.
After going down 1-0 in the 33
rd minute, freshman
Oscar Garces (Centereach, N.Y.) knotted the game in the 44
thminute before sophomore
Adolfo Martinez Paquet's (Sevilla, Spain) tallied his sixth game-winner of the season to lead the Knights to a 2-1 victory over the Spartans.
With the win, the Knights improve to 12-5 overall, and 5-2 in ECC play. Saturday's win earns fifth-year head coach
Frank Vertullo and his Knights a program-record 12 wins in a single season overtaking the previous program record of 11 wins.
Saturday's win earned the Knights a spot in the ECC postseason tournament set to begin in two weeks.
In a game that saw a combined 41 fouls, six yellows, and a red card, the Knights would have to battle through another physical 90 minutes. It was the Spartans who became began the game as aggressors in the opening minutes of play as senior goalie
Dario Giovanni Cruz (Guadalajara, México) was called to make a save in the 11
th minute of play.
After being outshot 4-0 in the first 10 minute of play, junior
Leo Pinto (Forest Hill, N.Y.) and Paquet notched back-to-back shots on goals but both would be denied by the Spartans goalie.
The Spartans kept their tempo up as Cruz and his defense continued to deny the home side. But the home side would finally get one through the Knights' defense in the 33
rd minute for a 1-0 lead.
Following a red card on the Spartans, the Knights would have the upper hand playing a man-up.
Freshman
Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) shot on goal would be denied in the 40
th minute before sophomore
Nicolas Cifuentes Diaz (East Hampton, N.Y.) connected to Garces for the rookie to sneak in the tying goal in the 44
th minute.
Queens came out of halftime with the momentum as they earned back-to-back corner kicks before sophomore
Joaquim Johnson's (Brooklyn, N.Y.) header was saved in the 50
th minute of play.
Following a phase where the Spartans dominated the possession, the Knights would counterattack before Pinto earned the Knights a penalty kick in the 59
th minute of play. Paquet stepped up to the mark for his fifth penalty shot of the season and made no mistake as he beat the diving Spartans goalie for his ninth goal of the season.
Having taken a 2-1 lead, Queens would continue the pressure before Diaz's shot in the 66
th minute was denied by the Spartans as they looked to put the game away.
In the final 20 minutes of play, Cruz would make three saves as the Knights held on for their 12
th win of the season and clinched a spot in the East Coast Conference tournament.
Match Highlights
- Paquet notched his ninth goal and sixth game-winner of the season, while Garces notched the first goal of his career.
- Diaz tallied his first assist of the season.
- In goal, Cruz made seven saves on the afternoon to earn his 12th win of the season.
- Queens were edged by a 15-12 shots margin (9-8 shots on goal).
- With the win over STAC, Queens ended a three-game losing streak to the Spartans and earned their first win in Sparkill since the 2017 season.
UP NEXT: On Saturday (Oct. 29) evening Head coach
Frank Vertullo and his Knights conclude the regular season as they welcome the Dolphins of College of Staten Island to Flushing in their White Out Game. Kick-off is set for 8:00 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).
