In their final tuneup before the start of University Athletic Association play, the NYU men’s and women’s soccer teams are trending in opposite directions, with the men falling to two games below .500 and the women winning their sixth straight. The men traveled to Madison, New Jersey to take on Drew University, another foe from the Landmark Conference. Unfortunately, the Rangers proved too much for the Violets, handing NYU a tough 1-0 defeat.

It was a very even match for most of the rainy night, with Drew outshooting the Violets 16-15. Each team registered 5 shots on goal. The Ranger’s lone goal came from a Bass Etta-Ashu penalty kick in the 36th minute, after he broke away from his defender and was taken down just inside the box.

The Violets had many opportunities to tie the game, earning eight corner kicks and forcing the Drew goalkeeper to make some very difficult saves. Their best chance came in the 85th minute when great passing by sophomore forwards Malcolm Montilus and Nic Notaro set up junior midfielder Deniz Oncu for a dangerous shot from well inside the box. Ranger’s goalkeeper John Marques was able to get a fingertip on the ball and force it over the crossbar. Another close chance for the Violets came in the 68th minute when a header from freshman Inder Sharma rattled the crossbar.

The loss drops the Violets to 3-5 on the season. Competition will not get any easier for the men as they open league play against nationally ranked Case Western Reserve University.

The women’s team was also out of the state Tuesday night, as they traveled to Radnor, Pennsylvania to take on Cabrini College. The Violets were able to continue their winning streak with a convincing 3-0 win, improving their record to 7-1.

The action started early when sophomore Olivia Braedner-Carr opened the scoring just six minutes in off a rebound in the box. The game remained 1-0 throughout the first half, with NYU dominating play. The Violets’ next goal came in the 49th minute when freshman defender Royce Light scored her first collegiate goal off a corner kick. Their final goal, a chip in by sophomore midfielder Steph Ho in the 69th minute, iced the victory.

It was a commanding offensive display by the Violets, who outshot Cabrini 29-5 and also earned 11 corner kicks. The win makes it six straight for the Violets, who are now done with their non-conference schedule and will begin UAA play this weekend. Junior midfielder Lexi Clarke, who led the Violets with five shots and also recorded an assist, said she likes how the team has been playing heading into conference play.

“I think we did a really good job of attacking as a team and finishing our scoring chances,” Clarke said. “If we continue to improve on our movement, we will be very successful in UAA play.”

Both teams are back in action this Saturday as they begin conference play against Case Western at Gaelic Park. The women will go for their seventh straight victory at 11 a.m., while at 1:30 p.m. the men will look to turn things around in time to compete for a league championship.

Email Ben Goodkin at [email protected].