ROCHESTER, N.Y. (October 19, 2008) – Junior Terrence Johnson scored three goals in the second half as the No. 10 Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team defeated Nazareth College 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Ducks scored four goals in the second stanza and erased a 1-0 deficit en route to the convincing win. The win moves the Stevens to 4-0-1 in the Empire 8 and 13-1-2 overall.
The win also gives Stevens a 2-0-1 mark in a week that Head Coach Tim O'Donohue knew was going to be a tough one for his team from when the season started.
“Kings Point is a good team that beat us last year. Both RIT and Nazareth took us to overtime at home last season as well, so I knew the week as a whole would be very challenging for us. Overall, I am pleased with the way we played and am happy with where we are.”
Nazareth got the scoring started when Andrew Alaimo (Kirkville, N.Y.) found net with an unassisted tally at the 27:15 mark of the first half. The goal came off a rebound and was the first goal Stevens allowed in conference play this season.
Though they ended the period trailing, Stevens outshot the Golden Flyers 8-3 in the opening half and controlled possession and field position.
Zach Carr was in net for Stevens. The sophomore made two saves and picked up his 13th win of the season as the Ducks are now unbeaten in their last ten contests.
Stevens wasted little time in knotting the score in the second half as Johnson put in the first of his three goals just 2:46 into the stanza from 12-yards out. The tally was assisted by rookie Peter Bednarsky as he now has three assists this season.
Less than seven minutes later, Johnson scored again. This time the score came on a header directly off a throw-in by junior Josh Williams. Junior captain Todd Sheridan scored Stevens' third goal and then assisted on Johnson's third of the game with less than nine minutes left. Johnson now has a team-best 12 goals in '08 as Sheridan now has seven goals and two assists.
The Ducks ended the game with a 20-9 advantage in shots as Nazareth (6-7-2 overall, 2-2-1 Empire 8) held a 6-1 edge in corners. Nazareth goalkeeper Ryan Platt (Creston, England) made seven saves for the Golden Flyers.
“The way we came out in that second half showed a lot of character,” O'Donohue said. “Except for the first 20 minutes of the RIT game, we had a solid weekend where we had some great possession that created excellent opportunities for us.”
Stevens is now 11-0-1 in 12 Empire 8 games in two years and has not lost a conference game in its last 54 outings. Today's win also guarantees the Ducks a return trip to the Empire 8 Tournament.
The Ducks will return to action on Saturday, October 25, at Ithaca College. The game is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start.
