ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Continuing their road trip Wednesday night, the Queens College men's soccer team faced off against the Molloy University Lions at John A. Darcy Field in East Coast Conference play.
After a scoreless first half that saw both teams combine for 16 shots, the Lions broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute to take a 1-0 lead. Just five minutes after Molloy's breakthrough, rookie defender
Carlos Villa (Medellin, Colombia) whipped in a pinpoint corner kick that found rookie forward
Bradyn Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), who headed home the tying goal in the 67th minute. Over the final 20 minutes, redshirt-sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) stood firm, making two crucial saves to help the Knights secure a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Lions.
With the tie, the Knights improve to 10-2-3 overall and 5-0-2 in ECC play. Holding 17 points, Queens has clinched a first-round postseason bye for the second consecutive year. With one match remaining, the Knights have the chance to secure the #1 seed and capture their second straight regular season title.
MATCH RECAP
The Knights set the tone early, controlling the first 10 minutes of play and outshooting the Lions 2-0. Brown's shot sailed wide just 45 seconds into the match, while redshirt-junior defender
Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.) tested the Lions' goalie off a corner kick in the seventh minute but was denied by a timely save.
After the Lions' first shot sailed wide in the 14th minute, senior forward
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) saw his shot blocked in the 18th minute. Then, in the 19th minute, Shehadeh made a crucial save to keep the Lions from taking an early lead.
The Knights had two potential scoring chances wiped out by offside calls, but Shehadeh remained alert, making another key save in the 27th minute.
Queens continued to apply pressure, as junior forward
Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain) pushed back with two shots on goal, both denied by timely saves from the Lions' goalkeeper.
As the first half neared its end, Shehadeh made his third save off a Lions set piece in the 40th minute, followed by another blocked shot two minutes later.
In the final minute before halftime, junior forward
Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.) had a shot denied, and Villa's effort sailed high as both teams headed into the break scoreless.
The Knights resumed their strong play after halftime. The Lions defended well, negating a corner kick in the 51st minute, and had an attacking chance called offside soon after.
Graduate defender
Cillian Heaney (Westport, Ireland) saw his shot on goal blocked in the 57th minute.
However, Molloy broke through first, scoring in the 62nd minute to take a 1-0 lead.
Queens quickly answered back. Udo earned a corner kick in the 68th minute, and rookie Villa delivered a precise inswinger that found Brown, who headed home his team-leading 11th goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
In the final 20 minutes, Shehadeh and the Knights' defense stood firm, limiting the Lions to just two shots on goal, while Queens' offense maintained relentless pressure, adding four more attempts.
Rallying from a 1-0 deficit, the Knights fought hard to secure a resilient 1-1 draw, enough to clinch a postseason bye with 17 points in conference play and keep their sights set on a top seed.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Brown scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season, extending his points total to 25 with 11 goals and 3 assists.
- Villa recorded his third assist of the year, bringing his points tally to five.
- In goal, Shehadeh made five saves, earning his third tie of the season and second in ECC play.
- The Knights outshot the Lions 15-13, with both teams combining for 12 shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
The road trip concludes Saturday, October 25, in Caldwell, N.J., as the Knights face off against the Caldwell University Cougars in non-conference action. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.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).
