FLUSHING, N.Y. – The Queens College men's soccer team ended week eight of play with a 1-0-1 week and clinching the program's first-ever East Coast Conference Regular Season title.
 
Head coach Frank Vertullo and the Knights earned a 2-2 against Mercy University on Wednesday afternoon before defeating St. Thomas Aquinas College 4-0 on Sunday afternoon in ECC play.

Queens College Preview (2024 Record: 9-4-2 Overall, 6-0-1 ECC)

• Queens extended their unbeaten wins streak to 10 games in week eight by recording a 2-2 tie against nationally-ranked Mercy and a 4-0 victory over STAC to clinch the ECC Regular Season title.
• As a team, the Knights have recorded 40 goals registering 262 shots with 137 shots on goals.
• Junior forward Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) leads the team with a team-high and program record of 40 points having tallied 17 goals and six assists on the year.
  • On Monday, Oct. 28 Cooke earned his third Honor Roll spot of the year.
  • On Monday, Oct. 7 Cooke earned a consecutive ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors as he led the way with 10 points with five goals.
• Sophomore forward Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain) has recorded 19 points with seven goals to go with five assists.
  • On Monday, Oct. 14 Soto Gonzalez earned his third ECC weekly honor as he was named to the Honor Roll sheet.
• Graduate student forward Carlos Almeida (Sao Paulo, Brazil) has recorded a team-high seven assists and two goals for 11 points on the year.
  • On Monday, Oct. 28 Almeida was awarded his second Honor Roll spot this year.
• Junior Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.), redshirt junior Eyob Gaffigan (Walkersville, MD), freshman Bastian Engeli (Bergen, Norway), sophomore Andrew Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.), senior Joaquim Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), sophomore Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.), rookie Kleverson Bolanos (Kew Gardens, N.Y.), sophomore Tommy Gunn (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and sophomore Fortune Uzo (Valley Stream, N.Y.), graduate student John Morell (New Britain, CT) have combined for 14 goals and three game-winning goals.
• In goal, junior Noris Iten (Sachseln, Switzerland) and sophomore Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) have combined for 51 saves, seven shutouts, and one combined shutout, and hold a goals against average of 1.13.
  • On Monday, Oct. 29 Shehadeh was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week for the third straight week, a Rookie of the Week honors for his fourth spot on the Weekly Report Sheet.
• In the ECC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, Vertullo and his squad have been tabbed to repeat as Champions as they earned four first-place votes for a total of 72 points. (Link)

Opponent Outlook

Vertullo and the Knights conclude the regular season with back-to-back home games beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 30 as they match up against the Yellow Jackets of American International College in non-conference play before officially concluding the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 2 against the Lions of Molloy University in ECC play and will honor their graduating seniors in their annual Senior Day ceremony before the game.

American International College Preview

• Overall Wins-Losses-Ties History: 0-2-1
• Last Win: -
• Last Loss: 0-1 (9/8/11)
• Last Tie: 3-3 (10/3/23)
• The Yellow Jackets enter the week with an overall record of 0-8-4 and are coming off a 1-0 loss against St. Michael's on Saturday afternoon.
• Wednesday's meeting will be the fourth overall against AIC with the Knights trailing the All-Time series to a record of 0-2-1
• Last season the Knights earned a 3-3 tie against the Yellow Jackets in Springfield and are in search of their first-ever win over AIC in program history as they host the non-conference foe for the first time in Flushing since the 2011 season.

Molloy University Preview

• Overall Wins-Losses-Ties History: 10-6-1
• Last Win: 3-0 (10/21/23)
• Last Loss: 1-2 (10/1/22)
• Last Tie: 1-1 (9/2/13)
• The Lions enter the week with an overall record of 5-6-4, and 3-1-3in ECC play and will match up against Southern Connecticut State University in non-conference on Wednesday evening before traveling to Flushing on Saturday afternoon.
• Saturday's meeting will be the 18^th overall against Molloy with the Knights leading the All-Time series to a record of 10-6-1.
• In the last six meetings, the Knights are 3-3 against the Lions and were victorious last season in Rockville Centre earning a 3-0 victory. Queen is in search of their first victory over Molloy in Flushing since the 2016 season when the Knights earned a 4-2 victory on October 30, 2016.
• In the ECC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, the Lions have been tabbed to finish seventh. (Link)

Preseason Outlook

Vertullo and the Knights have clinched their first-ever ECC Regular Season title and the #1 seed to the upcoming ECC Men's Soccer Tournament to earn a First Round bye. More details will follow next week.

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).