FLUSHING, N.Y. – In the 2022 East Coast Conference men's soccer preseason coaches poll released on August 18, the Queens College men's soccer team was voted to finish sixth and out of the four expected playoff teams.
Ten weeks later, fifth-year head coach
Frank Vertullo and the Knights have rewritten the record book this season as they finished the regular season setting the single-season wins record with a program-best of 13-5 and a 6-2 in conference play.
For the sixth time in program history and twice under Vertullo, the Knights are headed to postseason play. The 6-2 record has earned the Knights #2 seed in the conference tournament slated to start this Thursday (Nov. 3) evening. The #2 is the highest finish in program history as the Knights will host a playoff game for the first time.
The last time ECC Tournament appearance came in 2018 as Vertullo led the Knights back to postseason play in his second year of charge as they went 10-4-3 overall, 6-2-1 in conference play, and earned the #3 seed.
East Coast Conference Tournament
Molloy University Lions have earned the #1 seed finishing the regular season with an 8-4-6 overall record and 6-0-2 in conference play. Mercy College Mavericks earned the #3 seed with an 11-2-4 record and 4-1-3 in conference. Roberts Wesleyan University Redhawks are the final team to enter the playoffs having clinched the #4 seed with an overall record of 7-4-5 and a 3-1-4 ECC record.
The semi-final games will take place on Thursday (Nov. 3) evening as Molloy hosts Roberts Wesleyan in Rockville Centre, N.Y., while the Knights will welcome Mercy to Flushing.
The Championship game will take on Sunday (Nov. 6) at the highest seed remaining.
Queens College vs. Mercy College | Nov. 3
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Series History
- Record: 7-7-1
- Last Matchup: September 21, 2022 (L 1-2) | Current Streak: L5
- It will be the 16th meeting in program history with the series at 7-7-1.
- Queens fell 3-1 in their earlier meeting this season back on Sept. 21.
- The Knights are winless in their last six games against the Mavericks having fallen in five straight games, with a 1-1 double overtime coming in 2016.
- The last win came in 2015 when Queens won 1-0 in Dobbs Ferry, while the last win in Flushing came during the 2014 season as the Knights earned a 2-1 victory.
Game Notes
Live Stats: https://queensknights.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
Live Stream: https://eccsportsnetwork.com/queensknights/
Tickets
All tickets can be purchased at
https://www.eccsports.org/tickets. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance to avoid having any issues at the entrances.
- Adults: $8
- students (with ID) | Senior citizens | Children 5 and up: $4
- Children under 5: Free of charge.
Home Spectator Policy:
- Anyone not vaccinated or cannot provide proof of negative test result will not be allowed entry into the campus
- For continuous visitors (parents/relatives) of Queens College student-athletes, who will attend more than three home games a month, you must upload proof of vaccination or negative PCR test results within 7-days of entry through Cleared4.
Queens College
- Queens finished the regular season with a 13-5 overall record, and 6-2 in ECC play.
- The Knights take a five-game win streak into Thursday's ECC Semi-Final contest.
- Sophomore Adolfo Martinez Paquet (Sevilla, Spain) has produced a spectacular season leading the offense from the front with a team-high 24 points, scoring 111goals, two assists, and seven game-winning goals.
- The sophomore has earned an ECC Weekly Award on five separate occasions this seaosn earning Offensive Player of the Week accolade on Sept. 19 & Oct. 17, while earning an honor roll spot on Aug. 29, Sept. 6, Oct. 24
- Paquet's seven game-winners have the Sevilla native tied for first in the nation with sophomore Sulaiman Bah of Cal State Dominguez Hills.
- Senior Leo Pinto (Forest Hill, N.Y.) has tallied a career-high 14 points with five goals and leads the Knights with a team-high four assists on the season.
- Pinto earned an ECC Honor Roll spot on Oct. 17
- While rookie David Oprea (Oslo, Norway) leads the freshmen with four games, one assists with nine points, and has scored two game-winners on the season.
- Oprea earned ECC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12
- In goal senior Dario Giovanni Cruz (Guadalajara, México) has made 61 saves for a 13-5 overall record with a total of nine shutouts including five shutouts coming in conference play.
- Cruz has earned ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12, Sept. 19, Honor Roll spot on Oct. 11, & Oct. 17
- On Monday (Oct. 24) the East Coast Conference awarded named freshman Oscar Garces (Centereach, N.Y.) Rookie of the Week, becoming the fourth rookie to earn weekly award honors and the third Knights rookie to earn top honors.
- Paquet earned a spot for the weekly award sheet for the fifth time this season. (Link)
Mercy College
- The Mavericks finished the regular season with an 11-2-4 overall record and a 4-1-3 conference record.
- Mercy was voted to finish third in the ECC Preseason Coaches poll.
- Mercy enters Queens unbeaten in their last seven games as they went 4-0-3 in October.
- Three players are tied for a team-high 13 points.
- Vasco Baptista has totaled three goals, a team-high seven assists with two game-winners
- Daniel Rodriguez has totaled four goals and five assists.
- Luis Silva has recorded a team-high six goals and one assist.
The Knights are in search of their first ECC Title in program history and with a
win over Mercy Thursday evening, Queens will advance to their first ECC Title game as they look to continue to keep rewriting the record book in 2022.
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).
