The men's soccer team, coming off a sub-.500 campaign last season, brought home two huge shutout victories this weekend at the Harrison House Invitational Tournament at Rowan University.
The Lions blanked Baruch College 2-0 on Friday in the first round of the tournament.
Assisted by senior midfielder Craig Langan, freshman defender/midfielder Mike Razzoli notched the Lions' first goal - and his first at the College - minutes into the first half.
With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore forward Kevin Luber scored for the Lions on a pass from freshman midfielder Andrew Lampitt.
The College took 20 shots on the goal compared to Baruch's two, both of which were stopped by senior goalkeeper Matt Kasperavicius to complete the shutout.
"It felt good to get back into a competitive game," Kasperavicius said. "This really means something to all of us."
The College rolled past Medgar Evers College 9-0 in its second round contest. Two goals each by Langan, Lampitt and senior defender Charles Heydt and a goal and two assists by Luber gave senior goalkeepers Steve Scuttellaro and Kasperavicius more than enough support.
Kasperavicius made one save in the first half, while Scuttellaro made the save on the lone Medgar Evers shot in the second half for the combined shutout. Senior forwards Nima Rahimi and Nicholas Kiel each added a goal of their own to round out the Lions' offense.
"These two wins were good for us and were certainly a goal for the weekend," Kasperavicius said. "This should set the tone (for the season), but we know it is only the beginning and that we have to continue to learn and get better every game."
The team scored another victory this weekend when some of its members were named to the All-Tournament team. Four Lions made the cut, including senior defender Frank Fiorilli, defender/midfielder Anthony Staropoli, Kasperavicius and Razzoli.
"We are going to keep working hard and have a good season," Razzoli said. "We have a lot of returners from last year and a lot of talent."
Kasperavicius echoed Razzoli's optimistic sentiments, commenting on how the team can continue its win streak.
"We are going to have to continue that type of consistency if we want a winning season," Kasperavicius said. "This will be a matter of finding ways to keep this way of play going rather than questioning if we can keep it going."
The Lions look to continue their winning ways this weekend as they head back on the road to the Christopher Newport University (CNU) Tournament in Newport News, Va.
The Lions have games scheduled on Friday, Sept. 7 against CNU and on Saturday, Sept. 8 against York College of Pennsylvania.
