By Joey Bachich
Staff Writer
The College’s men’s soccer team lost two home games last week, the first to Kean University and the second to William Paterson University, both by a score of 2-1.
Men’s soccer came into the week 3-5-1 and have had a tough time finding an identity so far this season. Against Penn State Abington and New York University they scored a combined seven goals, but against Stevens Institute of Technology and RPI they conceded a combined eight goals.
Statistically, the Lions are not far off the competitors, but are lacking on the shots on goal percentage stat that sits at .453 while their opponents register .556 against the Lions.
Senior finance major Julian Franco has been really solid in net, stopping 73% of shots on goal. Freshman finance major Chris Meder leads the team in goals with three this season and has an outstanding shots on goal percentage at 46%.
The College falls 2-1 against Kean University
The College fell to Kean University in a tightly contested NJAC matchup. Kean came into the match unbeaten with a record of 5-0-3, but came out slow in the game, and the Lions quickly found footing.
A lot of pressure forced Kean back, and senior marketing major Luke Pascarella slotted the first goal early in the game for his second of the season.
Kean grew with confidence as the game continued on and finally broke through, scoring on a free kick late in the first half. Julian Franco again was a wall with a ton of pressure at the end of the first half from Kean; he kept the Lions from letting up back to back goals. Kean picked up where they left off and scored quickly into the second half. The Lions could not capitalize on late chances.
The College loses a close match 2-1 against William Paterson University
This game was another heartbreaker for the College, as they lost by one again to an NJAC opponent.
The Lions led the game in shots and shots on target, but William Paterson’s goalie put up six saves across the whole game and four in the second half alone. The Lions let up back to back goals in the late second half window almost five minutes apart.
Pressure is something the Lions put on their opponents, but the defense was overwhelmed at several points in the game, which happened for the second game in a row. Sophomore accounting major Colin Kenville got the College back within one and piled on the pressure for the rest of the game, but it was not enough as the Lions dropped another close game in conference play.
What’s next for the College
The Lions will get a break in conference play as they travel to Washington College in Maryland Oct. 4. After that, it’s back to NJAC action where they play Rutgers-Newark on Oct. 7 and Stockton on Oct. 11.
