On Tuesday night, the NYU men’s soccer team travelled to King’s Point, New York, where they faced a difficult match that ended in a 4-1 defeat to the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

The Violets started off well with freshman midfielder Richard Mitrano managing to score his first career goal goal in the 30th minute of the game. This goal was assisted by freshman midfielder Robert Shellow, who pushed the ball down the left side and found Mitrano to thrust the Violets into the lead, which they would hold until the break.

The wheels fell off in the second half. In the 50th minute the Mariners got their first goal from a set piece on the right side of the field. The Violet defense held strong though, until the 72nd minute, when the Mariners scored their second goal, when Midshipmen player Alex Niemann weaved the backline under pressure and finished under sophomore Violet goalkeeper Lucas Doucette. USMMA’s Dan Weldon made it ugly when he added goals in the 75th and 82nd minutes. Doucette, the reigning UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week, had six saves, which turned out to not be enough for NYU, as he was under fire almost the entire night, facing 22 shots with 10 on goal. Doucette felt that the tale of two halves was what sunk the Violets in this contest.

“We completely dominated the first half and I think we got complacent,” Doucette said. “They came out in the second half a different team and we were not prepared for it. They got two soft goals on us and it just seemed like it was over after that.”

It wasn’t all bad for the Violets, though. Most of their struggles came in the second half, and if they could have continued their first half performance, they would have seen a better result. Sophomore forward Malcolm Montilus led the Violets with a couple of opportunities, attempting three total shots, two of which landed on frame. And, in a typically physical game with USMMA, the Violets received no bookings, so they will be at full strength going into their next game.

After a stretch in which the team has lost three of its last four games, they will look to get back on track when they play their next game against Drew University in Madison, New Jersey on Sept. 29.
Additional reporting by Bobby Wagner. Email Ashley Arnold at [email protected].