The Violets took an early lead and didn’t look back against Wilkes University on Saturday, Oct. 22. Their record on the season is now 7-4-2.

It took just under eight minutes for junior forward Arkan Tahsildaroglu to score, reaching his seventh goal of the year. Sophomore forward Joe Leslie then fired another shot into the back of the net in the 19th minute with an assist from senior midfielder Alex Rovirosa-Illa. The Violets took a 2-0 lead into the half, and kept their foot on the gas pedal until the final whistle. 

In the second half, sophomore forward Bryce Lexow beat the goalkeeper in the 56th minute for  NYU’s third score of the day. With this goal, Lexow is now the leading scorer for the Violets this year.

NYU showed no mercy with a 3-0 lead, scoring just 37 seconds after Lexow’s goal. The fourth goal was put away by sophomore forward  Nathan Bennett, and assisted by Tahsildaroglu. Another score by first-year midfielder Terra Nagai in the 71st minute effectively finalized this game in the books. 

The Wilkes Colonels could not get any offensive production going during this match as they only managed four total shots and two shots on goal. A young and energetic Violet backline secured its sixth shutout of the season. Additionally, three of five goal-scorers for NYU were sophomores. 

Lexow continued his breakout season. His goal yesterday moved him into the second spot for goals this season and fourth in the conference for points. 

NYU stands in fourth place in the University Athletic Association, and the team has a golden opportunity to move up on the rankings next week. The Violets will face off against undefeated University of Chicago on Friday, Oct. 28, before taking on Washington University in St. Louis on Sunday, Oct. 30. Both games will be held at Gaelic Park. 

Contact Dustin Gardner at [email protected].