FLUSHING, N.Y. – Looking to conclude their season-opening three-match homestand on a high note Wednesday evening, the Queens College men's soccer team welcomed the Chargers of Dominican University of New York to Knights Field for a non-conference matchup.
Led by a pair of goals in each half from senior forward
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England), junior forward
Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain), and rookie forward
Bradyn Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), the Knights recorded their second shutout of the season with a 4-0 victory over the Chargers.
With the win, the Knights improve to 2-0-1 on the year.
MATCH RECAP
The Knights got off to a quick start, with Soto Gonzalez looking to open the scoring within the first five minutes of play.
Using their speed, the Knights broke the deadlock in the eighth minute when junior forward
Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.) found Cooke unmarked, who then hammered the ball home to make it 1-0.
The Chargers wasted no time trying to tie the match, recording back-to-back shots on goal in the ninth and 11th minutes. However, redshirt-sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) was up to the task each time, preserving the Knights' 1-0 lead.
With Queens dictating the pace of play, the Knights continued to pressure the Chargers' defense, outshooting the visitors 7-1 over the next 30 minutes. The sustained pressure paid off in the 42nd minute when Soto Gonzalez found the back of the net, giving the Knights a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Knights made it 3-0 in the 50th minute, as rookie midfielder
Andy Kasza (Queens Village, N.Y.) split the defense with a perfectly timed through ball to Soto Gonzalez. The junior forward calmly tucked a left-footed strike inside the right post, completing his first brace of the season and putting Queens firmly in control.
As Shehadeh and the backline limited the Chargers to just one shot in the second half, Brown put the finishing touch on the night in the 89th minute, converting the Knights' first penalty kick of the season for his first career goal. The rookie's strike capped off a commanding 4-0 win for Queens, closing out their season-opening three-match homestand on a high note.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Cooke recorded his team-tying fourth goal and his first game-winning goal of the year.
- The senior forward extended his points tally to eight on the year.
- Soto Gonzalez recorded his first brace of the year to equal Cooke with four goals on the year.
- With the brace, Soto Gonzalez leads the Knights with 10 points on the year.
- Brown recorded his first career goal and extended his points tally to three.
- Udo tallied his second assist of the year.
- Making his first career start, Kasza recorded his first career assist in the victory.
- In goal, Shehadeh recorded three saves to record his second shutout of the year.
- As a team, the Knights outshot the Chargers 20-4 and 15-3 shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
The Knights open a two-match road stand beginning on Saturday, September 13, in Hooksett, NH, as they match up against nationally-ranked #6/#1 Southern New Hampshire University Penmen. Kickoff is set for 7 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).
