FLUSHING, N.Y. – With a trip to the East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship Match on the line, the top-seeded and regular season champion Queens College men's soccer team welcomed defending champions and No. 5 seed University of the District of Columbia Firebirds to Knights Field on Saturday evening.
Looking to secure just their second-ever championship appearance in program history, the Knights saw four different players find the back of the net. Queens jumped out to a commanding 3–0 first-half lead behind goals from senior midfielder
Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.), rookie forward
Bradyn Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and junior forward
Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain) as Queens took a 3-0 lead. UDC pulled one back early in the second half, but senior forward
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) sealed the win in the 84th minute as Queens claimed a 4–1 victory to advance to next Saturday's championship match.
With the win, the Knights improve to 13–3–3 overall, tying the program record for single-season wins (13) set in 2022 under eighth-year head coach
Frank Vertullo.
MATCH RECAP
The Firebirds opened the semifinal with early pressure, as Zachary Parker tested redshirt-sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) in the third minute. Shehadeh's sharp save denied UDC an early lead.
Queens responded with sustained attacking play. Brown registered two early shots, forcing UDC keeper Sergio Becerra into action, while Shehadeh came up big again in the ninth minute to stop David Akinsanya.
Queens then took control of the match with a blistering 10-minute stretch that produced three goals.
In the 12th minute, a long throw-in from redshirt-junior defender
Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.) found Johnson, who headed home the opening goal to give the Knights a 1–0 lead.
Just four minutes later, sophomore midfielder
Kleverson Bolanos (Kew Garden, N.Y.) delivered a precise cross into the box that Brown nodded past Becerra to double the advantage.
The Knights continued their relentless pressure, and in the 19th minute, junior midfielder
Andrew Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) slipped a perfectly timed through ball to Soto Gonzalez, who beat Becerra and the Firebirds through the right side to make it 3-0.
Queens dominated possession for the remainder of the half, forcing Becerra into several key saves to prevent further damage. Shehadeh stayed sharp on the other end, making another stop in the 38th minute as the Knights carried a 3–0 lead into halftime, outshooting UDC 13–3.
The Firebirds tried to rally after the break and were rewarded in the 47th minute, when Parker set up Isaiah Daniel to cut the deficit to 3–1.
Cooke nearly restored the three-goal cushion a minute later, but his attempt sailed just high. The second half turned physical, with three yellow cards shown in the opening 15 minutes as both sides battled for momentum.
Queens held firm defensively, blocking multiple set pieces and limiting UDC's chances. Shehadeh and the back line denied Quinton Ejechi in the 70th minute to preserve the lead.
In the 84th minute, the Knights put the match away. Soto Gonzalez whipped in a cross that found Cooke, who headed home Queens' fourth goal of the evening to seal the 4–1 victory. The Knights defense closed out the match with poise, keeping the Firebirds off the board for the remainder of regulation as Queens punched its ticket to the ECC Championship Match.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Brown tallied his team-leading 13th goal and fourth game-winner of the year to extend his points total to a team-best 30 with 13 goals and four assists.
- Soto Gonzalez recorded a match-high three points with his seventh goal and team-leading 13th assist of the year to bring his season total to 27 points.
- Cooke netted his ninth goal of the year to extend his points total to 20 with nine goals and two assists.
- Senior Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) scored his second goal of the year to increase his points total to four.
- Bolanos notched his second assist of the season to raise his total to two points.
- Wagner registered his first assist of the year to bring his season total to three points with one goal and one assist.
- Junior Andrew Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.) recorded his first assist of the season to increase his total to 13 points with six goals and one assist.
- In goal, Shehadeh made three saves to secure his 13th victory of the season, tying the program record for most wins in a single season by a goalkeeper.
- The Knights outshot the Firebirds 22–7 and held a 12–4 advantage in shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
For the second time in program history, Head Coach
Frank Vertullo and the Knights will host the ECC Championship Match on Saturday, November 15, as they welcome the No. 2 seed Roberts Wesleyan University Redhawks to Knights Field. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. More details to follow soon.
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).
