Senior Josh Ottinger assisted on the first two goals as Stevens captured its second straight Skyline Conference title. |
HOBOKEN, N.J. – Junior forward Brian Marks (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) scored two goals in a span of 1:11 in the first half and added a second-half assist to spark fourth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology to a 4-0 win over the 10th ranked United States Merchant Marine Academy in the Skyline Conference Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday evening at DeBaun Field.
Stevens, ranked fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III poll, earned its 14th straight win, improving to 20-1-1. The 20 wins are a school record, break the mark set during last season’s 19-1-1 campaign. The Ducks capture the Skyline Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Kings Point falls to 18-2 with both losses coming to Stevens.
Stevens took control early in the first half. Senior forward Josh Ottinger (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) passed a ball from the Kings Point end line back to Marks at the top of the box. Marks dribbled in a fired a shot from 15 yards past a diving James Papazis into the upper right corner at the 12:08 mark.
Just over a minute later, Ottinger fed a through ball to Marks who was cutting in the top of the box on the right side. He placed a shot just inside the left post at 13:19 to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead.
Despite a strong start in the second half, Kings Point was unable to break through the Stevens defense. Stevens added to its lead in the 79th minute when freshman midfielder Craig Moquin (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) headed in a cross from Marks.
Junior midfielder Chris Barsky (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) closed out the scoring at the 80:34 mark when his free kick from 35 yards deflected into the net off a Kings Point defender.
Stevens held a 16-8 advantage in shots and a 6-5 edge in corner kicks. Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Celentano (Newton, N.J./Newton) stopped two shots to earn the shutout for the Ducks. James Papazis recorded four saves for Kings Point.
Stevens, the top-ranked team in the Metro region, will learn of its NCAA Tournament opponent on Sunday evening when bids are announced.
STEVENS 4, KINGS POINT 0
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Kings Point......... 0 0 - 0
Stevens............. 2 2 - 4
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 12:08 SIT MARKS, Brian (OTTINGER, Josh)
2. 13:19 SIT MARKS, Brian (OTTINGER, Josh)
3. 78:09 SIT MOQUIN, Craig (MARKS, Brian)
4. 80:34 SIT BARSKY, Chris (unassisted)
Shots: Kings Point 8, Stevens 16
Saves: Kings Point 4 (Papazis, James 4);
Stevens 2 (CELENTANO, Chris 2)
