WASHINGTON, D.C. – Opening a two-match East Coast Conference (ECC) road stand in the nation's capital, the Queens College men's soccer team faced off against the defending ECC champion University of the District of Columbia Firebirds on Wednesday afternoon.
Fueled by goals from senior forward
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England), rookie forward
Bradyn Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), junior midfielder
Andrew Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.), and senior forward
David Oprea (Oslo, Norway), the Knights secured a 4-1 victory over the Firebirds with a pair of goals in each half.
With the win, Queens improves to 6-1-2 overall and 2-0-1 in ECC play. The victory also marks the Knights' first road regular-season win over the Firebirds since the 2019 season.
MATCH RECAP
The Firebirds looked to take control in the opening 10 minutes, applying pressure in the Knights' defensive half. After conceding back-to-back fouls, Queens successfully defended a corner kick in the 4
th minute. Redshirt-sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) came up big with a save in the 8th minute to keep the match scoreless.
Following a quiet stretch, the Knights began to build momentum. In the 18
th minute, junior forward
Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.) registered Queens' first shot on target, but a strong save from the UDC goalkeeper kept the game level.
Queens continued to press, and in the 31
st minute, junior forward
Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain) sent a shot just wide. Moments later, Soto Gonzalez delivered a pinpoint cross for Cooke to bury home the first goal of the contest.
As the Knights maintained possession and outshot the Firebirds 4-1 over the next 10 minutes, Queens extended its advantage in the 43rd minute. Sophomore midfielder
Kleverson Bolanos (Kew Gardens, N.Y.) lofted a long cross into the box, where Brown would hammer home the second goal of the contest to send the Knights into halftime up 2-0.
The second half began with chances on both ends, as Shehadeh and the UDC goalkeeper each made key saves in the opening 10 minutes. Queens maintained its high tempo, and in the 62
nd minute, Johnson scored his second goal of the season to make it 3-0.
The Knights put the match out of reach in the 75th minute. Redshirt-junior forward
Tommy Gunn (Buenos Aires, Argentina) threaded a through ball to Oprea, who slotted it past the keeper for his first goal of the year, giving Queens a commanding 4-0 lead.
UDC spoiled the clean sheet with a goal in the 89th minute, but Queens comfortably closed out the match to secure their sixth win of the season, and second in ECC play, with a 4-1 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Brown recorded his team-leading seventh goal and second game-winning goal of the year.
- The rookie extends his points tally to 15 with seven goals and one assist.
- Cooke recorded his sixth goal of the year to extend his points tally to 12.
- Johnson scored his second goal of the year and extended his points tally to four.
- Oprea recorded his first goal of the year to open his points tally.
- Soto Gonzalez recorded his team-leading seventh assist and extended his points tally to a team-high 17 with five goals and seven assists.
- Bolanos records his first assist and point of the year.
- Gunn recorded his third assist of the year and extended his points tally to seven with two goals and three assists.
- In goal, Shehadeh recorded four saves to earn his sixth victory of the year.
- The Knights outshot the Firebirds 20-8, 13-5 shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
The Knights conclude their ECC road stand on Saturday, October 4, in Amherst, N.Y., as they take on the Daemen University Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 2:30 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).
