Box Score

The New York University men's soccer team picked up its first University Athletic Association (UAA) win of the season with a 2-0 victory at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, on Saturday, October 9.

Kyle Green and Paolo Luciano led the way on offense for the Violets (7-2-2, 1-0-1), tallying a goal and an assist each on second-half strikes just four minutes apart. Matt Stieve played another tremendous game in net, turning away all four shots on frame.

“We played very, very well,” said head coach Joe Behan. “We had most of the possession, and Paolo and Kyle combined very well. The lads worked very hard and played good football.”

That good football puts NYU into a tie for first place in the UAA in the early going. The two squads that entered the day 1-0, Case and University of Chicago, both lost. Nationally ranked Emory University and Washington University both also improved to 1-0-1 to stand with the Violets atop the Association.

In a physical first half, the Spartans (6-3-3, 1-1), who entered the contest ranked #10 in the Great Lakes Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), held the Violets without a shot.  NYU, however, made a tactical change up front and began to discover better chances.

In the 56th minute, Green converted one of those chances after a fantastic play by Luciano. Luciano received the ball on the Case end line and twice played the ball over defenders' heads to move closer to the net. After the second flick, Green swooped in and volleyed a shot with his left foot into the back of the net.

Just four minutes later Green returned the favor, driving to the end line and playing a pass back toward the center of the goal. Luciano took a touch and then ripped a shot into the lower left corner to give the Violets the 2-0 advantage.

Stieve and the back four handled it from there, with the keeper making two of his four stops in the final 22 minutes.

“Matt Stieve again was outstanding, and the back line played very well,” commented Behan. “Overall we played great.”

NYU returns to action next weekend with a home UAA doubleheader against a pair of teams ranked in the top 10 of Division III. The Violets take on #9 Emory University on Friday and #6 Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, with both games slated for 1:30 pm starts at the College of Staten Island.