STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Returning to East Coast Conference play to close out the week, the Queens College men's soccer team faced off against the College of Staten Island Dolphins on Saturday afternoon at Dolphins Soccer Park.
Against the odds on two separate occasions, Queens battled back after trailing 1-0 in the first half, as senior forward
Arvin Pereira (Westbury, N.Y.) first goal of the season, leveling the match at 1-1 in the 66
th minute. In the 78
th minute, the Knights were forced to play a man down but continued their push for a game-winner. With time winding down, redshirt-junior forward
Tommy Gunn (Buenos Aires, Argentina) delivered in the 88
th minute with his second game-winning goal of the season to help the Knights earn a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over the Dolphins.
With the victory, the Knights improve to 10-2-2 overall and 5-0-1 in ECC play. For the fourth straight year, head coach
Frank Vertullo and the Knights have recorded double-digit wins, marking the fifth time overall under Vertullo's guidance.
MATCH RECAP
Queens went on the offensive early, as redshirt-junior defender
Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder
Bastian Engeli (Bergen, Norway) recorded back-to-back shots on target within the first five minutes of play.
The Dolphins responded with two attempts in the 8th and 12th minutes, but both sailed wide to the left. Staten Island registered their first shot on goal in the 17th minute, but a timely save by redshirt-sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) kept the home side off the board. However, in the 21st minute, the Dolphins broke through to take a 1-0 lead, putting the Knights on the back foot.
Queens pushed for an equalizer in the following minutes, earning back-to-back corner kicks, but the Dolphins' defense held firm to avoid danger.
In the final 15 minutes of the first half, junior forward
Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.), Wagner, and senior forward
David Oprea (Oslo, Norway) each had shots on target denied, as the Knights went into halftime trailing 1-0.
The Dolphins looked to double their advantage in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but Shehadeh came up big again with back-to-back saves to keep the deficit at one.
Looking to shift momentum, the Knights found their breakthrough in the 66th minute. A well-placed cross from Udo found Pereira, who blasted a shot over the Dolphins' goalkeeper into the top-left corner to level the match at 1-1.
Riding the momentum, Queens continued to apply pressure, holding Staten Island without a shot as they searched for a game-winner.
However, in the 78th minute, Queens faced a setback as they were reduced to 10 men.
The Dolphins capitalized on the man advantage, outshooting the Knights 3-0 over the next 10 minutes, but Shehadeh came through again with a clutch save in the 82nd minute to keep the score tied.
With the game clock winding down, the Knights were led by junior forward
Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain) who sparked the decisive play in the 88th minute, winning possession in midfield before driving forward and delivering a well-placed through ball to Gunn who beat the Dolphins' defense and goalkeeper through the right side, scoring his fourth goal and second game-winner of the season.
Queens held strong over the final two minutes to secure their 10th win of the year and fifth in ECC play.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Gunn scored his fourth goal of the season and second game-winner to extend his points total to 11.
- Pereira netted his first goal of the year, bringing his season point total to four.
- Soto Gonzalez tallied his team-leading 12th assist of the season, increasing his point total to 22.
- Udo recorded his fifth assist of the year, matching his season point total at five.
- In goal, Shehadeh made four saves to earn his 10th win of the season and fifth in ECC play.
- The Knights were narrowly outshot, 14-13, but held a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
Staying on the road and in ECC play, the Knights will travel to Rockville Centre, N.Y., on Wednesday, October 22, to take on the Molloy University Lions. 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).
