HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 25, 2021)  – Senior Sean Masur broke through in the fifth minute and senior Aedan Boriotti made four saves for his 10th career clean sheet as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team defeated Stevenson University 1-0 Saturday in a non-conference fixture at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

The victory was the second straight for the Ducks, who moved to 5-2-1 on the year. Stevenson dropped its second straight to fall to 4-4-1. 

In just the second meeting between the programs, Stevens jumped on the board early to seize control of the match. Masur converted a well-placed through ball from graduate student Cristiano Hocken to give the Ducks an early advantage. Hocken drew the Stevenson defense and moved north to south with possession. Hocken slid the ball to Masur just outside the 18. Masur quickly turned, took a few strides and tucked the ball into the bottom-right corner of the goal for his first tally since Nov. 6, 2019. 

The one-goal advantage was enough for Boriotti, who made three saves in the second half to preserve the victory. The Sea Girt, New Jersey native moved into the top 100 in the country with 0.947 goals-against average with his performance and lowered his career GAA to 0.798. 

After controlling play for the majority of the first half, the Ducks saw the visiting Mustangs apply pressure over the final 45 minutes in an effort to even the score. Boriotti was tested just 36 seconds into the second half, snagging Chris Gonzales' header from the air. 

Stevens was able to avert danger on a controversial play right at the end of the first half. After Boriotti snagged Alex Morales' service in the 44th minute, he sent the ball back into play from just outside the 18 and was whistled for a foul. Stevenson carefully set up a set piece that would essentially be the final play of the opening half. After three Mustangs congregated around the ball, which had been placed at the very edge of the 18, just to the right of the center mark, Morales served as the decoy, but Edson DeMata Ribeiro fired a shot well high of of its target to keep the Ducks in front.

Turning Point

• With the game in the balance, Boriotti made consecutive saves inside the final six minutes, including a brilliant stop on a header from Bryant Seivers in the 86th minute to secure the win. The Ducks also blocked a pair of quality Stevenson chances in the same sequence.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens outshot Stevenson 17-12, including a 10-2 margin in the first half. Senior Adam Silva led both sides with six shots, while DeMata Ribeiro paced Stevenson with four.
• Stevens earned both of its corners in the first half, while the Mustangs totaled three on the afternoon. 
• An extremely physical affair, the teams combined for 29 fouls and a pair of cards.
• First-year Emerico Vespucci was awarded a penalty kick in the 34th minute, but his ensuing shot rang off the right post. Stevens was able to maintain possession and earned a corner. 
• Hocken's assist was his sixth point of the season. He's tied for ninth in the MAC Freedom in points per match.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Dale Jordan

• "Good result and nice to get a clean sheet. Very pleased to start well today; our work rate was incredible."
• "Stevenson created some tactical problems in the second half for us, which we had to endure. Really looking forward to an extremely challenging game against national title contender Amherst on Tuesday."

Up Next

• Men's Soccer heads north to Massachusetts on Sept. 28 to round out the non-conference portion of the schedule against the perennial national power, Amherst College.
• The Ducks are 2-0 all-time against the Mammoths, although the teams haven't met since 2008.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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