WAYNE, N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team opened the 2026 season Tuesday with a late-night 2-1 victory over Garden State foe William Paterson.
In a match initially scheduled for 7:00 PM, the match was delayed roughly two hours by weather.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The delay did little to slow the Ducks early on, as the visitors controlled the action throughout the entirety of the first half, recording seven shot attempts and earning a pair of corner kicks without conceding any of either. Seniors
Omar Martinez and
Luke Carey had long-range free kick opportunities that both found the mitts of Pioneers keeper Luca Misko, as did junior transfer
Zain Akhtar.
Lucas Mendes had two good looks in the 29
th and 34th minutes, respectively, but the sophomore's first attempt with his left foot from about 14 yards out was sliced just wide of the left post while his second (also with the left) from about 20 yards out was deflected over the crossbar by a leaping save by Misko.
Emerson Kekesi had a look from just inside the box inside the final three minutes, but the shot grazed off a Pioneers defender, sending the attempt wide.
In the second half, junior Matt Murillo had a chance stopped in the 48
th and Stevens keeper
Bobby Boyke was finally called into action the following minute on a long free kick opportunity before the Ducks finally broke through in the 54
th.
Kekesi corralled a loose ball he initially helped poke free from a Pioneer, dribbled from far side toward the top of the box, and let loose with the left foot a strike into the lower left corner past a diving Misko.
After William Paterson had a potential game-tying header clank off the crossbar in the 60
th, Kekesi factored heavily into the insurance goal in the 68
th. From more than 35 yards out, the junior played a through ball between four Pioneers to a crashing
Ziyue Jiang, who took possession at the top of the 18-yard box in front of a charging Misko, dribbled around the keeper, and converted into the empty net.
Jiang's goal proved all the more crucial when William Paterson finally broke through on Boyke in the 86
th minute, cutting the Ducks' lead in half. One final Pioneer shot attempt was blocked less than a minute later, as Stevens closed out the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- For the second straight year, Kekesi scored the Ducks' first goal of the season in a match against William Paterson
- Boyke became the first underclassman to start a season opener in goal since Aaron Henry in 2016 and the first first-year since at least 2010
- Fellow first-years who joined Boyke in starting their collegiate debuts were RJ Dougherty and Aidan Waterman, the latter of whom played the full 90 alongside Carey
- Stevens did not concede a single corner kick, just the fourth occurrence for the program in its last 60 matches dating back to the start of the 2023 season
UP NEXT
Stevens heads to Danbury, Connecticut Saturday evening for a 5:00 PM kickoff with Western Connecticut State
#AllRise
