Box Score

Senior co-captain Branden Neal netted his first collegiate hat trick as New York University earned its first victory with a 6-0 shutout of the College of Mount St. Vincent on Friday evening in the 16th Annual Manhattanville College Valiant Classic at GoValiants.com Field in Purchase, NY.

Neal produced all of his offense in the first half, as the Violets (1-2-1) scored four times in a span of 7:21.  Two of his tallies came off corner kicks by freshman Adam Fein, giving the rookie his first two collegiate points.

Overall, it was a game of firsts for NYU.  Sophomore Logan Smith and freshman Ruben Gepner each recorded their first career goals, while senior Robert Keller hit the back of the net with his first goal this season.

Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Stieve started his first collegiate game and picked up his first victory, playing the first 45 minutes without needing to make a save.  Junior Marek Urbanski (28:15) and freshman Josh Smith (16:45) combined with Stieve to give the Violets their first shutout of the season as the defense did not permit a shot on net.  It was Smith's first-ever collegiate playing time.

All told, NYU dominated in both shots (38-1) and corner kicks (14-1)

The Violets return to the pitch Saturday at 7 p.m. when they face Manhattanville.