The New York University men's soccer team continued its early-season campaign on Saturday, traveling to Bruggeworth Field in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, for its first road match up of the season against Wilkes University.
The Violets scored a 6-0 victory to remain undefeated.
"I was very pleased with the defensive effort," Head Coach Kim Wyant said. "We had a total team effort. Everyone got minutes and made contributions to the win."
Through the opening 20 minutes of play, NYU's attack looked strong against Wilkes' defense. The Violets consistently pushed forward into the attacking third, registering four shots on goal while searching for an early breakthrough. Despite the early pressure and opportunities around the net, the match remained scoreless as the first half approached its midway point.
NYU's early pressure finally paid off in the 32nd minute. After the Wilkes goalkeeper received a pass in front of the net, Kacey Pasha applied immediate pressure and stole the ball away before firing a shot into the right side of the net, giving the Violets a 1-0 advantage.
Wilkes looked for an equalizer in the 38th minute when Charles Floyd sent a low shot toward the right side of the net, but NYU goalkeeper Gabino Talisayon came up with an athletic save to preserve the Violets' lead.
NYU quickly turned the defensive stop into momentum on the other end, as Fabio Orozco fired a low shot into the left side of the net to extend the advantage to 2-0. Pasha and Sandy Duggal were credited with assists on the goal.
Orozco's goal closed out a strong first half for the Violets, who entered the break with a 2-0 advantage.
"Getting a shutout is always the goal, which creates a better chance for us to win the game" Wyant expressed. "I thought we had a good defensive presence to keep the opponent from scoring."
The Violets carried their first-half momentum into the second, striking again in the 58th minute. Crisp, well-timed passing in the attacking third opened up the Wilkes defense, allowing Lazar Mijatovic to deliver a well-placed pass in front of the net to Sandy Duggal, who finished with a shot into the left corner of the goal to extend NYU's lead to 3-0.
NYU found the back of the net once again in the 79th minute as Ben Geist rifled a powerful shot past the Wilkes goalkeeper, off the assist from Arion Ulaj, adding to the Violets' strong advantage and continuing their offensive surge in the second half.
The Violets wasted little time adding another. In the 80th minute, NYU scored its fifth goal of the afternoon to mark the program's highest-scoring performance since September 29, 2024. Luke Vilery delivered a curling corner kick into the box, where Arion Ulaj rose above the defense and connected on an impressive header, driving the ball into the back of the net to extend NYU's lead to 5-0.
NYU continued its relentless offensive attack as Arion Ulaj delivered a beautiful pass from outside the box to Kaan Akturan, who connected with a strong header and sent it into the back of the net to further extend the Violets' commanding lead to 6-0.
The Violets' six-goal offensive performance was complemented by a clean sheet on the other end, securing a 6-0 victory in their first road test of the season.
The Violets are right back on the pitch tomorrow when they travel to face Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. Kickoff is set for 3pm.
