Men’s soccer redeems conference-opening loss with a strong weekend performance

NYU men’s soccer began its weekend with a game-winning goal against Emory University in the last minute.

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The NYU men’s soccer team is 6-4-2 after beating Emory University. (Photo by Vincent Dusovic, Courtesy of NYU Athletic)

Kaylyn Sawada-Zinni, Staff Writer
October 18, 2022

The NYU men’s soccer team concluded its in-conference road trip with a close win against Emory University on Friday, Oct. 14, followed by a hard-earned draw against the University of Rochester on Sunday, Oct. 16. Improving their record to 6-4-2 overall, the team’s weekend performance redeemed its University Athletic Association conference loss against Case Western University on Oct. 8.

In Friday’s match against the Emory Eagles, NYU fell behind 0-1 in the first half before the Violets upped their offensive pressure with a tying goal in the 60th minute from first-year midfielder Terra Nagai, assisted by junior forward Arkan Tahsildaroglu. Within a minute, the Violets took two more shots. 

Four minutes later, sophomore forward Joe Leslie scored with another assist from Tahsildaroglu, followed by a goal from Emory’s Zach Kornblum in the 67th minute. NYU then took nine shots within the final 20 minutes, which culminated in the game-winning goal from Tahsildaroglu with just 47 seconds left on the clock. 

The Violets finished the match having outshot Emory 20-9. Senior goalkeeper Luca Manusco recorded five saves, while Tahsildaroglu amassed one goal, two assists, nine shots and five shots on goal. His nine shots and five shots on goal were both season highs.  

The Violets continued their weekend with a 1-1 draw against the Rochester Yellowjackets on Sunday. The match remained scoreless until the second half when Rochester’s Elijose Arauja scored in the 81st minute. Tahsildaroglu promptly responded with the equalizing goal just two minutes later. While the Yellowjackets led 13-9 in overall shot attempts, the Violets led 7-3 in shots on goal. Manusco made two saves on the day, and Tahsildaroglu added a match-high five shots. 

Tahsildaroglu now leads the UAA in number of shots and is second in points and assists. The team heads back home for a matchup against Wilkes University during NYU’s Alumni and Parents Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 4 p.m. It is NYU’s final non-conference contest. 

Contact Kaylyn Sawada-Zinni at [email protected].