The New York University men's soccer team defeated Centenary University 2-1 in double overtime in the opening round of the Division III Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship, which was hosted by William Paterson University on Saturday, November, 11, in Wayne, NJ.
Freshman
Matteo Carrieri-Russo scored both goals for second-seeded NYU (9-7-2).
Carrieri-Russo scored his first goal in the 24th minute, beating the Cyclones' goalkeeper from about 12 yards out for his first tally of the season. The goal was assisted by
Tristan Medios-Simon, who returned to the lineup for the first time since being injured on September 23.
Centenary (9-8-1), the #3 seed in the region, answered early in the second half as Matt Miller tied the game at 1-1. Andrew Neary sent a corner kick into the box, which was flicked to Miller by Josh Weiss. Miller patiently sent a shot into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.
The score remained 1-1 deep into the second overtime period when Medios-Simon was fouled roughly 10 yards outside the box. The senior captain took a free kick from the spot of the foul, crossing the ball through the box and Carrieri-Russo was able to get his head on it and send it past Cyclones' goalkeeper Devon Warne.
"Matteo has been dangerous all season, but had yet to score," said Head Coach
Kim Wyant. "Goalkeepers have made great save against him all season. He's a dangerous attacker who picked a great time to score his first goals."
NYU played the entire second half and both overtime periods with only 10 men after
Santiago Huertas was red-carded at the very end of the first half.
"We had to change tactically," Wyant explained. "We made sure that every player knew what his defensive responsibilities were, and when we won the ball in their half or in the midfield we attacked quickly. We created good chances throughout that time and we finally put the ball in off the free kick."
Grant Engel made a career-high 12 saves for the Violets, while Warne helped keep Centenary in the game with nine saves of his own.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Centenary outshot NYU 29-19 overall and 13-11 in shots on goals. Carreri-Russo took a game-high seven shots and a game-best four shots on goal.
- The two assists for Medios-Simon give him six points (two goals, two assists) in just four games played this season. The six points are tied for sixth-best on the squad and NYU is now 4-0-0 when he's in the lineup.
- This marks the first time NYU has advanced in the postseason since 2014 when the squad tied William Paterson at home and advanced on penalty kicks.
With the victory, the Violets extend their season as they advance to the ECAC Quarterfinals to take on host and top-seeded William Paterson. The quarterfinal match between the Violets and Pioneers (11-6-3) is slated to take place on Sunday, November 12 at 12pm.
"William Paterson has a very good team. They are solid at every position," Wyant revealed. "They won relatively easily today (4-0 over Brooklyn College) and have the home field tomorrow. We'll have to play our 'A' game to win."
