FLUSHING, N.Y. – Opening East Coast Conference action in Flushing, the Queens College women's soccer team welcomed the Wildcats of Daemen University to QC Soccer Field Saturday afternoon.
Despite being outshot 9-2, junior
Marina Pappas (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) notched the game-winner in the 61
stminute while senior goalie
Ariana Vargas (Brentwood, N.Y.) and freshman
Katelyn Villacres (Bayside, N.Y.) helped the Knights shutout the visitors to the final score of 1-0.
With the win, the Knights improved to 1-1 in ECC play. First-year head coach
Thomas Paris earned his collegiate victory as a head coach in charge of the Knights.
It was the Wildcats who controlled the majority of the possession throughout the match.
After working out of trouble off of a Daemen corner kick in the 26
th minute, sophomore
Jacklyn Diel (Stony Brook, N.Y.) would respond with a counterattack only to be denied in the 27
th minute of play.
The first half saw the Knights getting outshot 3-1 with Vargas denying the Wildcats in the 30
th minute of play to help the Knights go into halftime with a 0-0 tie.
Queens kept the ball in the middle of the field at the start of the second half before an offside on the Wildcats was called in the 55
th minute. But a collision between Vargas and a Wildcats defender would force the senior goalie to leave the field giving a debut to Villacres in goal.
After a Wildcats shot went out right, the Knights responded on the other end as Diel and senior
Sarah Marino (Enfield, Conn) pressed the Wildcats defenders. After a failed clearance by Daemen found the foot of Marino, the senior wasted no time in finding Pappas in the middle of the 18-yard box for the New Hyde Park to tally her first goal of the season into the top right corner for a 1-0 lead in the 61
st minute of play.
Wth the Knights defense behind rookie Villacres, Queens playing ahead with the lead continued to defend well for the remainder of the game.
The Bayside native would deny the Wildcats in the 74
th minute and 75
th minute as the Knights held on for their first victory of the season.
Match Highlights
- Pappas tallied her first goal of the season and fourth of her career.
- Pappas notched her first career game-winning goal, Marino tallied her first assist of the season.
- Vargas and Villacres combined for three saves on the afternoon as the rookie earned her first career win in the victory.
- Queens were outshot 9-2 (3-1 shots on goal).
- With the victory, Queens ended a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats to improve their record to 5-3-1 overall.
- It is the first win against Daemen since the 2017 season when Queens defeated the visitors 4-0 at home. In five wins over the Wildcats, the Knights have shut out their opponent on three occasions.
UP NEXT: On Wednesday (Sept. 22) afternoon, ECC continues on the road as the Knights travel to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. with a matchup against Mercy College Mavericks at Mercy Field. Kickoff is set for 1:00 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), Instagram (qcknightsny), women's soccer (qcwsoccer)
