FLUSHING, N.Y. – Opening a three-match homestand on Saturday afternoon, the Queens College men's soccer team welcomed the D'Youville University Saints to Knights Field for their East Coast Conference opener.
Despite being reduced to 10 men for over 48 minutes, redshirt sophomore goalie
Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus) and the Knights would hold firm to earn a hard-fought scoreless draw against the Saints.
With the tie, the Knights improve to 3-1-2 overall and 0-0-1 in ECC play.
MATCH RECAP
The Saints opened the match looking to quickly put the Knights under pressure, registering a shot in the opening 52 seconds, but it sailed wide left.
Just as Queens negated a D'Youville set piece in the sixth minute, a long ball from junior forward
Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain) would find junior forward
Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.) in open space, but Udo's shot from 18 yards would sail wide, keeping the match scoreless.
Riding the momentum, the Knights earned a corner in the eighth minute. A second chance for Udo followed shortly after, but his effort once again went high.
As physical play ramped up, D'Youville found their second opportunity in the 13
th minute, however, a dangerous shot would hit off the left post before the Knights' defense cleared the danger to keep the match scoreless.
Following back-to-back corners for the Saints, Shehadeh came up big in the 22
nd minute, diving low to make a crucial save at the bottom center of the net.
Queens responded quickly. In the 24th minute, senior forward
Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) registered the Knights' first shot on goal, but the Saints' keeper matched it with a timely save.
With Queens controlling possession, both Cooke and freshman defender
Carlos Villa (Medellin, Colombia) had shots on target, but D'Youville's defense continued to hold strong.
A turning point came in the 43rd minute, when redshirt-junior defender
Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.) received a second yellow card, reducing the Knights to 10 men for the rest of the match.
The first half ended in a deadlock, despite Queens holding a 5–3 shot advantage. A total of 10 fouls and four cards were issued before the break, setting the tone for a scrappy battle.
The Saints came out aggressively to start the second half, recording a shot in the 47th minute that went wide left.
Queens pushed back quickly, increasing their tempo. Senior midfielder
Arvin Pereira (Westbury, N.Y.) and graduate defender
Cillian Heaney (Westport, Ireland) both attempted to break the deadlock in the 50th and 52nd minutes, but each shot missed the mark.
As the midfield battle intensified, D'Youville earned a set piece opportunity that led to another shot on goal. Once again, Shehadeh delivered a timely save to keep the match level.
Despite being down a man, the Knights continued to press forward and outshot the Saints 4–3 in the second half. But neither side could find the breakthrough, as Queens battled to a hard-earned 0–0 draw to open ECC play.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Knights outshot the Saints 9-6, while both teams combined for 2-2 shots on goal.
- Cooke recorded a team-high three shots and one shot on goal, while Villa recorded the second shot on goal opportunity.
- In goal, Shehadeh recorded two saves as the Knights earned their third shutout of the year.
NEXT MATCH
The homestand continues on Tuesday, September 23, as the Knights host the East Stroudsburg University Warriors at Knights Field in non-conference action. 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).
