FLUSHING, N.Y. – The Queens College men's soccer team enters Week Six of the season with an overall record of 7-2-1 and a 1-1 mark in East Coast Conference (ECC) play. The Knights concluded Week Five with a 3-1 road victory over Assumption University to earn their seventh win of the season.
For the fifth consecutive week, head coach
Frank Vertullo and the Knights are ranked among the top five teams in the
United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll, earning the No. 4 spot. For the second consecutive week, Queens is also receiving national recognition in the
United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll.
Through 10 matches, the Knights have scored 25 goals, averaging 2.50 goals per match while registering 18.0 shots per contest.
Offensively, Queens is led by the senior duo of
Keithlend Cesar and
Tommy Gunn, who have combined for 10 goals and six assists for 26 points. Cesar and Gunn have each recorded five goals and three assists, along with one game-winning goal apiece. Gunn earned ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 7, while Cesar has earned ECC Honor Roll recognition on Sept. 7 and 14.
Sophomore
Bradyn Brown has recorded three goals and a team-best five assists for 11 points. Brown has also scored two game-winning goals this season, earning ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 21.
In goal, sophomore
Stian Haugland has made seven starts, helping lead the Knights to six wins, including one solo shutout and one combined shutout. He has made 18 saves while allowing six goals for a 0.87 goals-against average. Haugland has earned two ECC Honor Roll selections and one ECC Rookie of the Week honor this season.
Opening a two-match homestand, the Knights continue non-conference action Wednesday as they welcome the Franklin Pierce University Ravens to Flushing before hosting the University of the District of Columbia Firebirds on Saturday afternoon in ECC play.
Franklin Pierce University Preview
The Ravens enter the week with an overall record of 4-2-2 and are coming off a 1-0 setback against the nationally ranked University of Charleston on Sunday afternoon.
Franklin Pierce is ranked No. 18 in the country and No. 2 in the East Region.
Wednesday's contest will mark the first nationally ranked matchup hosted by Queens in Flushing, with the Knights receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. It will be the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs, with Queens trailing the series, 0-5-1.
The Knights are seeking their first victory over the Ravens, with the most recent positive result coming on Sept. 17, 2019, when the two sides played to a 1-1 double-overtime draw in Garden City.
University of District of Columbia Preview
The Firebirds enter the week with an overall record of 3-4-2 and a 0-2 mark in ECC play. UDC will host Virginia State on Wednesday before traveling to Flushing for Saturday afternoon's conference matchup.
Saturday's contest will mark the 17th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Queens holding a 12-3-1 advantage in the series.
Last season, the Knights earned a 4-1 victory over the Firebirds during the regular season on Oct. 1 before defeating UDC by the same score in the ECC Semifinals on Nov. 8.
NEXT WEEK OUTLOOK
Continuing ECC play, Queens will open a two-match road swing Wednesday with a trip to Sparkill, N.Y., to face the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans before traveling to Amherst, N.Y., on Saturday to take on the Daemen University Wildcats.
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).
