FLUSHING, N.Y. – Returning to Knights Field to close out the regular season, the Queens College men's soccer team began a two-match homestand Wednesday evening, hosting the Felician University Golden Falcons in non-conference action.
The Golden Falcons struck early, taking a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. Despite controlling much of the match and holding a 16-8 advantage in total shots, including an 11-6 edge in shots on goal, the Knights were unable to find the equalizer and fell by a final score of 1-0 to wrap up non-conference play.
The Knights move to 11-3-3 on the year.
MATCH RECAP
The Knights opened the match aggressively, with junior forward
Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.) registering two shots on target within the first nine minutes. However, the visitors capitalized on their first major opportunity, converting in the 12th minute to take a 1-0 lead.
As Queens worked to settle into rhythm, redshirt-sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) made two key saves to keep the deficit at one. The Knights were outshot 5-3 in the opening half.
After halftime, Queens came out with renewed energy, dictating the tempo and pushing for the equalizer. In the 53rd minute, Udo's effort on goal was cleared off the line by a defender, and senior midfielder
Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) sent a follow-up attempt just wide following a corner kick.
Shehadeh tallied his fourth save in the 55th minute before the Knights continued to press forward.
Moments later, redshirt-junior defender
Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.) nearly leveled the match, as his header from a set piece rattled off the crossbar before Johnson's rebound attempt sailed over in the 56th minute.
From the 64th to the 72nd minute, Queens outshot Felician 6-0, including five shots on target, but the Golden Falcons' defense held firm.
In the closing moments, rookie
Bradyn Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and redshirt-junior forward
Tommy Gunn (Buenos Aires, Argentina) each forced late saves, but Queens could not break through, falling 1-0 in a hard-fought battle.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Udo recorded a team-high three shots on goal.
- Brown tallied three shots and two shots on goal.
- In goal, Shehadeh recorded five saves.
- The Knights outshot the Golden Falcons 16-8, including 11-6 shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
The Knights will conclude the regular season on Saturday, November 1, welcoming the Roberts Wesleyan University Redhawks to Knights Field for a pivotal East Coast Conference matchup with the No. 1 seed and Regular Season Championship on the line.
Prior to kickoff, head coach
Frank Vertullo and the Knights will honor the team's graduating seniors during the annual Senior Day Ceremony, with festivities set to begin at 12:45 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).
