FLUSHING, N.Y. – Looking to conclude East Coast Conference play on an undefeated note Saturday afternoon, the Queens College men's soccer team welcomed the Lions of Molloy University to Knights Field on Senior Day.
Junior
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) would open the scoring in the 42
nd minute of play before the Lions quickly equalized as both teams went into halftime with the game tied 1-1, however Cooke would record his eighth game-winning goal of the year in the 72
nd minute of play before officially closing the scoring and completing his third hattrick of the year in the 88
th minute of play to help Queens close the regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Lions.
With the win, Queens improves to 11-4-2 overall, and 7-0-1 in ECC play on the year. Saturday's win over the Lions earned Queens their first home victory over Molloy since the 2015 season when the Knights earned a 4-3 victory on September 19, 2015.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to kick-off Athletic Director
Robert Twible, Head Coach
Frank Vertullo and the men's soccer team honored their six graduating seniors
Juan Pablo Pineda (Guadalajara, Mexico),
Carlos Almeida (Sao Paulo, Brazil),
Juan Cruz Ladino (Cali, Colombia),
Jose Mendez (Queens, N.Y.),
Nicolas Cifuentes Diaz (East Hampton, N.Y.) and
Joaquim Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for their dedication to Queens College and men's soccer program.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Queens went on the offensive attack early as they recorded two shots in the opening 10 minutes of play with sophomore
Miguel Soto Gonzalez's (Madrid, Spain) shot sailing out left in the fourth minute of play before Cooke's shot was denied by the Lions goalie in the ninth minute of play.
As the Knights continued to keep the Lions out of their attacking half graduate student
Carlos Almeida (Sao Paulo, Brazil) would tally the Knights' second shot on goal in the 18
th minute of play but it would be another timely save from the Lions goalie to keep the game scoreless.
With a midfield battle brewing and both teams inching closer to a scoreless first half, redshirt sophomore
Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.) would find Cooke for the second straight game for the junior to blast a shot into the top left corner for a 1-0 lead in the 42
nd minute of play.
But the Lions would waste little time in finding the equalizer as they scored just 16 seconds later to tie the game and take a 1-1 tie into halftime.
Molloy taking their first half momentum to begin the second half would see an offside call cancel a potential attacking opportunity in the 47
th minute of play before a shot deflected off the crossbar to deny the Lions a 2-1 lead in the 48
th minute of play.
From there onwards the Knights would flip the script as they held the Lions without a shot for the remainder of the game.
Having earned back-to-back corner kicks senior
Joaquim Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) potential game-winner would be denied by a team save from the Lions backline in the 56
th minute of play.
As Queens continued to attack, the Knights would earn a free kick from 19 yards out in the 72
nd minute of play and Cooke would step up to the mark looking for another on-target curler. As his initial shot bounced off the Lions wall, the junior would blast the rebound shot into the bottom left corner as the Knights reclaimed the lead.
The Knights would seal the game in the 88
th minute of play as senior
Jose Mendez (Queens, N.Y.) delivered a cross for Cooke to blast a shot into the middle of the net as Queens earned a 3-1 victory over Molloy and closed out the 2024 Regular Season with an overall record of 11-4-2 and 7-0-1 in ECC play.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Cooke paced the offense with a team-high six points with his third hattrick of the year.
- The junior recorded his team-leading 20th, 21st, and 22nd goals of the year and extended his points tally to 51 on the year.
- Wagner recorded his second career assist and his second point of the year.
- Mendez recorded his first assist of the year and eighth assist of his career.
- In goal, redshirt freshman Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) recorded his ninth victory of the year.
- Queens outshot Molloy 12-3 and held a 8-1 shots on goal advantage.
- Cooke recorded a game-high eight shots and five shots on goal.
- While junior Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.), Soto Gonzalez, Almeida, and defender Johnson combined for four shots and three shots on goal
NEXT GAME
Head coach
Frank Vertullo and the Knights have clinched the ECC Regular Season title and the #1 seed to the East Coast Conference Men's Soccer Tournament set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 7. More details to follow soon.
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).
