SPRINGFIELD, MA. - Returning to non-conference play to open the month of October, the Queens College men's soccer team traveled to Springfield, MA. for the first time since the 2010 season as they matched up against the Yellow Jackets of American International College at Ronald J. Abdow Field Tuesday evening.
A goal from senior
Leo Pinto (Forest Hills, N.Y.) would tie the match before the Yellow Jackets took a 3-1 lead. But with less than 25 minutes to play in the second half, goals from senior
Adolfo Martinez Paquet (Sevilla, Spain) and junior
Joaquim Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) would help the Knights earn a hard-fought high-scoring 3-3 draw against the Yellow Jackets.
With the draw, the Knights see their record move to 5-3-2 on the season and end a two-match losing streak to AIC in three matches.
Match Recap
It was the home side who began the match on the attack as junior goalie
Juan Cruz Ladino (Cali, Colombia) was in action early on making two saves in the first 20 minutes of play.
Queens would get their first attacking opportunities in the 22
nd minute of play but shots from freshman
Juan Gomes (Brentwood, N.Y.) and sophomore
Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) would sail wide.
As Ladino made his third save of the first half, the Yellow Jackets would strike first with a goal in the 29
th minute of play for an early 1-0 lead.
After an offside canceled the Knights' attacking opportunity, sophomore
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) and Gomez would record the Knights' first two shots on goal in the 32
nd and 33
rd minute but would be denied by the AIC goalie.
With the momentum on their side, Queens would break through in the 37
th minute of play as red-shirt sophomore
Jose Mendez (Queens, N.Y.) curled a cross for Pinto to complete a right-foot shot past the Yellow Jackets goalie into the bottom left corner to knot the match 1-1.
Staying on the offense, Pinto's shot in the 40
th minute of play would sail top left as the Forest Hill native looked to give the Knights a 2-1 lead just before halftime.
But it would be the home side who would take a 2-1 lead in the 41
st minute as the Knights were outshot 9-6 in the first half.
Queens began the second half as the aggressor as the Knights looked to tie the game in the 51
st minute of play but Cooke's right-footed shot on goal would be denied by a timely save from the Yellow Jacket goalie.
However, AIC would strike first in the second half to take a 3-1 lead in the 53
rd minute of play.
Trailing 3-1 and needing to mount a comeback, Pinto on the counterattack would be fouled inside the box as Queens were awarded a penalty kick in the 67
th minute of play.
Paquet would step up to take the PK and complete the shot as the Yellow Jackets goalie guessed wrong as the Knights cut their deficit down to 3-2.
Looking to keep the momentum going, the Knights would outshoot the home side 4-2 for the remainder of the second half.
With time running out, Queens would earn three corner kicks in the final 10 minutes of play as they searched for the equalizer.
After earning their third corner, Paquet would execute a perfect corner kick from the left side of the field for junior
Joaquim Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to head home the tying goal in the 89
th minute of play.
With the match tied 3-3, AIC on the attack would get one final shot on goal as they earned a free kick from 20 yards out. With the clock stopped and four seconds remaining and the Yellow Jackets looking to steal the victory, Ladino would record his seventh save of the match as Queens earned a hard-fought 3-3 tie Tuesday evening.
Match Highlights
- Pinto recorded his third goal of the year and his second straight in back-to-back matches to record his eighth point of the season.
- The Forest Hill native recorded his 10th career goal to extend his points tally to 27 points in 47 matches.
- Pinto's 27th point moves him into a tie for ninth place on the All-Time Career Points Record.
- Paquet recorded his second goal and team-leading eighth assist of the year.
- For the seventh straight match, Paquet has recorded a point to extend his career points tally to 36 in 30 matches.
- With the 36th point of his career, Paquet is fifth in All-Time Career Points.
- The season-high eight assists see the senior take sole possession of second place on the Single-Season Assists Record.
- Paquet's 10th career assist sees the Sevilla native tie Cristian Villalta for fifth on the All-Time Career Assist Record
- Junior Joaquim Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) continues his career season with his third goal of the year.
- Mendez recorded his fifth assist of the year.
- In goal, Ladino made a career-high seven saves.
- AIC held a 13-12 shots and 10-7 shots on goal advantage.
- The Knights outshot the Yellow Jackets 6-4 in the second half.
- Queens held an 8-5 advantage on corner kicks.
Next Match
Head coach
Frank Vertullo and the Knights return to East Coast Conference play to conclude the week's play as they travel to Washington, D.C. on Saturday (Oct. 7) afternoon with a matchup against the Firebirds of The University of the District of Columbia. 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), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), and Instagram (qcknightsny), men's soccer (qcmsoccer).
