Hoboken, N.J. – First-years
Emerson Kekesi and
Nick Lapczynski each scored their first collegiate goals as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team closed out a third straight unbeaten MAC Freedom season with a 2-0 win over Misericordia University Saturday afternoon.
Stevens wraps the regular season 9-3-4 and 6-0-1 in MAC Freedom action; Misericordia finishes 5-7-5 overall and 3-1-3 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the eighth minute,
Joseph Pinho played a cross in from the left toward the top of the six-yard box in the direction of Lapczynski. With a defender right on his back, Lapczynski held his ground, stuck out his right foot, and redirected the ball past a frozen Misericordia goalkeeper.
The Ducks earned three corner kicks and took nine shots but could not add another over the final 35+ minutes of the half; the back line did not yield a corner and held Misericordia to just two shots – both off-target -- over that period.
In the 77
th minute, several miscues by the Cougar midfield and back line set
Kevin Lochbihler up with a strong scoring opportunity. Lochbihler was caught from behind, denying his initial scoring attempt, but he kept the ball alive long enough for Kekesi, who was trailing the play, to swoop in and put home the loose ball.
Jonathan Martin, making his first start (and first appearance) of the season in goal, stopped four Cougars shots in the second half to preserve the clean sheet.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Lapczynski, Martin, Christian DeOliveira, Dion Ramani, and Chayse Stolarski all made their first starts of the season.
- Martin and Ryan Johnsen each made their first appearances of the season.
- Stevens ran their conference regular season unbeaten streak to 25 matches, dating back to the 2021 season.
FROM THE FIELD
"Great way to end the regular season - was tough against a well-coached Misercordia team who have an excellent defensive record - we are looking forward to playoff soccer on Tuesday ." – Head Coach
Dale Jordan
UP NEXT
The No.1 seed in the MAC Freedom Men's Soccer Championship, Stevens hosts No. 4 Lebanon Valley on Tuesday night at 7 pm at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. The Ducks picked up a 1-0 win over the Dutchmen on October 26, and a 1-0 win in last season's conference championship game; both of those contests were played AT Lebanon Valley.