ITHACA, N.Y. (September 5, 2021) – Graduate student
Cristiano Hocken scored a pair of goals to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team over No. 23 Ithaca College Sunday in a non-conference fixture at Carp Wood Field.
Senior
Adam Silva added a pair of assists and graduate student
Aris Costeas made one save for his first career clean sheet for the Ducks, who moved to 1-0-1 on the year. Josh Koenig made five saves in a losing effort for Ithaca, who dropped to 2-1. The result marked the Ducks' first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 15 Muhlenberg College on Sept. 13, 2015.
After a scoreless first half, Hocken finally broke through in the 55th minute. After Ithaca cleared a Stevens corner by sending back over the touch line, Silva quickly threw the ball back into play. After receiving the ball back, the Wayne, New Jersey native played a gorgeous ball just inside the 18-yard box. Hocken one-timed a shot into the bottom-left corner of the net for the Ducks' first goal of the season. The New Providence, New Jersey native would go on to complete his fifth career brace in the 89th minute, collecting Silva's well-played through ball for a tap-in goal from inside the six-yard box.
The two-goal advantage was more than enough as a smothering defense and strong play in the midfield kept Ithaca in check. The Bombers entered the match averaging two goals on 16 shots over their first two contests. The win was the Ducks' 13th victory over their former Empire 8 Conference foe since 2004. In an interesting twist in the scheduling, each of the last three meetings between the programs have been in upstate New York.
Unsung Hero
- Costeas earned the clean sheet in his collegiate debut. The UCLA transfer and Nicosia, Cyprus native extended the Ducks' streak to 242:39 minutes without conceding a goal dating back to the 2019 season.
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens out-shot Ithaca 16-9, including a decisive 10-3 margin in the second half.
- Silva led all student-athletes with four shots, including three on frame. Theo Scott and Chris Ogden fired off two attempts to lead Ithaca.
- Ithaca finished the day with eight corners, while Stevens only earned three.
- A chippy affair, the teams combined for 20 fouls, four yellow cards and a pair of red cards.
- Junior Jake Jacquemot joined graduate student John Caracappa and senior Gianni Falvo in drawing their first start of the season.
From the Sidelines - Head Coach Dale Jordan
- "Very happy with the result against a top-ranked team. Credit to a well coached Ithaca team - they made it extremely difficult for us."
- "It was another total team effort to get the result today. We now look forward to playing at home on Wednesday against another top-quality opponent in Rutgers-Newark."
Up Next
- Men's Soccer welcomes Rutgers-Newark to campus on Sept. 8 for the Ducks' home opener.
- The contest was originally scheduled for one week earlier, but was postponed because of Tropical Storm Ida.
- The Ducks have won each of the last two meetings between the programs and hold a 6-4 advantage over the Scarlet Raiders since 2000.
- Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.
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