The New York University men's soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to host Rutgers University-Newark in an opening-round game of the Scarlet Raider Soccer Classic in Newark, NJ, on Saturday, September 12.
Despite playing one-man short after Violets' starting goalkeeper
Lucas Doucette was issued a red card in the game's 29th minute, NYU managed to keep the Scarlet Raiders scoreless through the first half.
However, Rutgers-Newark (4-2) managed to finally put one past NYU's replacement in the net,
Grant Engel, on Sebastian Gostynzki's unassisted goal at 66:58. He collected a ball that had bounced off a Violet defender and sent it past Engel from the top of the box.
Engel finished with eight saves in his first-ever appearance for the Violets (2-2).
"Grant kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win," said NYU Head Coach
Kim Wyant. "He helped give our guys the confidence that we could still pull out a win."
NYU lost another man on the field when
Ricardo Mitrano, who led the Violets with three shots, was issued his second yellow card in the 75th minute.
HIGHLIGHTS:- Doucette registered four saves before his ejection.
- Mitrano,
Petter Aasa and
Nic Notaro each had a shot on goal for NYU.
- Rutgers-Newark goalkeeper Matt Broomall recorded the shutout.
"Despite being one-man and then two-men down in the game, we were right in it until the end," Wyant explained. "The heart, passion and intensity that our players showed was great to see. I told them after the game that if we play with this type of effort in our games and in our practices, we will do very well."
The Violets get right back on the pitch tomorrow afternoon when they face The College of New Jersey in their second game of the Classic. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm.
