HOBOKEN, N.J. – First-year
RJ Dougherty scored his first collegiate goal in rather unique fashion and added an assist for the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team during a 2-0 win over Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at DeBaun Athletic Complex on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After not being called into action until the second half of Tuesday's 2-0 win over Skidmore, first-year keeper
Bobby Boyke was busy in the first half. In the ninth minute, Boyke poked an arcing, slicing shot headed for the top right corner over the end line. In the 26
th, he smothered a low, bouncing shot from the far side with an Engineer attacker crashing the play from the near side. In the 35
th, he scooped up another bouncer from about 25 yards out.
Stevens (3-0-1) had five shots in the first half, the only one on target coming from first-year
Aiden Waterman in the 31
st minute, whose header was cleared out by an Engineer defender two steps in front of the goal line.
Scoreless at the half, things did not remain that way for long. Less than a minute off the second half kickoff, Dougherty poked a ball away from an Engineer, with
Omar Martinez passing the loose ball right back to Dougherty. From about 20 yards out, Dougherty's shot deflected off a WPI defender standing at the edge of the 18-yard box wide of the right post, re-directed right to left through the box, landed right in front of the goal line, and bounced in just inside the left post.
WPI had looks to tie in the 56
th and 61
st minutes, but both shots from inside the box sailed just wide of the far post. First-year
Zain Akhtar sailed one high on a counter attack just over a minute after WPI's second wide attempt.
After the Engineers sailed another potential equalizer from point-blank range high in the 83
rd, the Ducks added an insurance goal in the 85
th. From the far side, Dougherty played one just outside the box for Kekesi, who dribbled around several defenders then slid one underneath WPI's charging keeper Savio Ketnouvong, who'd come well off his line.
Kekesi's goal was the final shot attempt of the game for either side
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- For the second straight contest, a Duck scored his first career goal, with Dougherty following the efforts of Francesco Bonavita on Tuesday against Skidmore
- Kekesi has now scored in three of four outings this season and seven of nine dating back to last season
- Boyke posted a third straight shutout while recording a season-high four saves; the Ducks have not allowed a goal in more than 275 consecutive minutes of game action
UP NEXT
The Ducks head to Springfield, Mass. for a 7:00 PM kickoff with the Pride on Tuesday, September 15.
#AllRise
