FLUSHING, N.Y. – Looking to finish their two-match homestand strong, the Queens College men's soccer team hosted the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans at Knights Field in East Coast Conference (ECC) action.
The Knights struck early when senior forward
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) opened the scoring just four minutes into the match. The Spartans answered back with an equalizer in the 39th minute, leveling the score at 1-1. In the second half, senior midfielder
Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) delivered the game-winning goal in the 54th minute, marking his first goal of the season. Queens' defense held firm in a nerve-wracking final stretch, fending off a late Spartans surge to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory.
With the win, Queens improves to 9-1-2 overall, 4-0-1 in ECC play. The victory also marked Queens' first home win over St. Thomas Aquinas since the 2008 season, when the Knights defeated the Spartans 2-1.
MATCH RECAP
In a fiercely contested ECC clash that featured 10 yellow cards and 29 fouls, two unbeaten teams in conference play, the Knights and the Spartans, collided in a match packed with action and intensity at Knights Field.
The Spartans threatened early with a shot in the third minute, but a timely block kept the visitors off the scoreboard.
Queens immediately responded on the counterattack, and it didn't take long for the Knights to make their mark. In the fourth minute, the frontline trio of junior forward
Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain) and rookie forward
Bradyn Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) combined to set up Cooke, who blasted home the opening goal to give Queens a 1-0 lead.
Queens stayed on the front foot, creating early pressure. But in the 11th minute, it was the Spartans who produced their first real threat, a shot on target that forced a timely save from redshirt-sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) to preserve the Knights' lead.
Just minutes later, Queens nearly doubled their lead in the 14th minute when sophomore midfielder
Bastian Engeli (Bergen, Norway) was denied by a strong save from the Spartans' keeper.
Despite Queens' early dominance, the Spartans gradually found rhythm and equalized in the 39th minute. Just before halftime, redshirt-junior defender
Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.) nearly reclaimed the lead for Queens in the 44th minute, but the STAC goalkeeper made another crucial stop to send both teams into the break tied at 1-1.
Queens came out firing in the second half, with Brown testing the goalkeeper just 11 seconds after the restart.
The breakthrough came in the 54th minute when Brown once again played provider, linking up with Johnson, who rifled a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner for his first goal of the season, putting the Knights up 2-1.
The final 30 minutes turned into a nerve-wracking affair, as physical play intensified and yellow cards piled up. Queens looked to extend their lead in the 71st minute, but both Cooke and Soto Gonzalez were denied on promising chances.
The Spartans nearly found an equalizer in the 74th minute, but a vital defensive stop by Wagner kept Queens in front. In the final 10 minutes, STAC launched a relentless offensive push, but Shehadeh and the Knights' defense stood tall. With a series of clutch saves and under-pressure clearances, Queens held off the late surge to earn a thrilling 2-1 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Johnson recorded his first goal and game-winning goal of the season.
- Cooke netted his seventh goal of the year, bringing his season points total to 14.
- With his 14th point of the season, Cooke becomes Men's Soccer All-Time leader in total points, registering his 93rd career point and surpassing Danny Stoker (92 points, 2009–2012).
- His seventh goal also brings his career total to 40 goals, tying Stoker for first place on the program's all-time goal-scoring list.
- Brown recorded a career-high two assists, boosting his season tally to a team-leading 23 points with 10 goals and three assists.
- Soto Gonzalez registered his team-best 11th assist of the year, pushing his season total to 21 points with five goals and 11 assists.
- In goal, Shehadeh recorded two saves to earn his ninth victory of the year
- The Knights outshot the Spartans 14-11, 10-4 shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
The Knights begin a season-high four-match road stand on Wednesday, October 15, when they travel to Garden City, N.Y., for a non-conference showdown against the Adelphi University Panthers. Kickoff is set for 7:00 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).
