FLUSHING, N.Y. – On Monday (Nov. 13) evening, the NCAA announced the 40 teams for the 2023 Division II Men's Soccer Championship, and the Queens College men's soccer team were awarded the #10 seed in the Super Regional 1 Bracket.
 
Sixth-year head coach Frank Vertullo and the Knights earned the East Coast Conference automatic bid to the big dance by winning the program's first-ever ECC Championship crown on Saturday (Nov. 11) afternoon as they defeated #4 The University of the District of Columbia Firebirds to the score of 1-0.
 
On winning the program's first-ever ECC Championship, Vertullo stated "We are so excited about winning the program's first ECC Conference Championship! We have been working so hard for this and to see it through makes it so satisfying. It was a great performance, especially being the program's first final, you never know how guys will respond. Well, we couldn't have asked for a better performance."
 
In 2022, the Knights earned the program's first-ever At-Large bid to the NCAA Tournament as they were awarded the #7 seed.
 
Earning the #10 seed in the Super Regional 1 Bracket, the Knights are now dancing for the second straight season in what continues to be another recording-breaking year for Vertullo and the men's soccer program.
 
"Returning to the NCAA Tournament is a phenomenal feat for the program. It truly shows the resiliency of our boys who really want to be part of history." Said Vertullo.
 
The Knights will now prepare for their second straight trip to West Virginia as the Preliminary Rounds get underway on Thursday (Nov. 16) afternoon hosted by the University of Charleston Golden Eagles who have earned the #2 seed and a First-Round bye.
 
Queens will match up against #7 seed Notre Dame College (OH) Falcons who have earned an At-Large bid. The Falcons are making the program's seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and their second straight.

Overall Series

Both teams are matching up against each other for the first time in program history and will kick off on Thursday (Nov. 16) at noon.

#10 Seed Queens College Knights

The Knights take an overall record of 11-7-2 into their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and are riding a four-match win streak.
 
Queens advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning their first-ever ECC Championship in program history.
 
In the ECC Tournament, the Knights earned the #3 seed and would go to defeat #6 seed College of Staten Island Dolphins as senior Leo Pinto (Forest Hills, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal with 55 seconds remaining in regulation on Wednesday (Nov. 1) evening in Flushing to the score of 2-1 in the First Round Match.
 
The victory over the Dolphins would also earn the Knights their first-ever postseason victory in program history.
 
Queens would then travel to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. as they matched up against defending champions and #2 seed Mercy University Mavericks on Saturday (Nov. 4) afternoon.
 
After taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, the Mavericks would take a 3-1 lead before the Knights rallied. With 20 minutes in the match, Queens would be led by rookie Andrew Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) who recorded his first career brace in three minutes to knot the match at 3-3.
 
With extra time looming, freshman Tommy Gunn (Buenos Aires, Argentina) shocked the Mavericks with eight seconds remaining in regulation to deliver the game-winning goal as Queens earned a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory to advance to the championship match.
 
In the Championship match, Queens would match up against #4 seed UDC and would be led by Gunn's second straight game-winning goal coming in the 79^th minute as the Knights earned their first-ever ECC Crown to the final score of 1-0 victory.
 
With the regular season concluded, Vertullo and the Knights take an overall record of 8-7-2 and a 5-3 ECC record into postseason play.
 
In 20 matches played, the Knights have set a new program record for goals in a single season with 53 goals scored averaging 2.65 goals per game as they recorded 172 shots on goal totaling 49 assists.
 
While on defense they have held their opponents to 32 goals while registering 72 saves and recorded five shutouts on the year.
 
On the offense end sophomore Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) leads the offense having recorded 24 points for eight goals and six assists to go with three game-winning goals. Cooke earned ECC Second Team All-Conference honors.
 
While senior Adolfo Martinez Paquet (Sevilla, Spain) is second on the team with 20 points having tallied three goals and a team-high 14 assists on the year. Paquet earned his second straight ECC First Team All-Conference honors. With a team-high 14 assists, the senior is the first Knight to register double-digit assists in a single season which sees him tied for second in the nation.
 
On the defensive end, senior goalkeeper Austin Matthews (Chico, CA) has earned the last seven starts helping the Knights record five wins. In the ECC Tournament, Matthews made seven saves facing 28 shots and would make three saves in the Championship match.

#7 Seed Notre Dame College (OH) Falcons

The Falcons bring an overall record of 11-3-4 into the big dance as they clinched the At-Large bid.
 
Mirai Sato leads the offense having recorded a team-high 19 points with nine goals and one assist, while Carlos Almeida and Ailton Fagner Silva have recorded 16 points each with Almeida notching six goals and four assists and Silva recording five goals and six assists.
 
In goal, Danilo Abayo Wilson has started all 18 matches on the year recording 46 saves, and holds a 1.11 goals against average.

If Knights Advance

A win over Notre Dame will move the Knights' National journey against the #2 seed Golden Eagles on Saturday (Nov. 18) at 6 p.m.

Tickets

Admission for each day of the tournament play will be as follows:

• Adults: $ 10.00
• Students with I.D./Senior Citizens: $ 5.00
• Children, ages 2-12: $ 5.00

Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

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).