Mercy Men's Soccer Has Unbeaten Streak Snapped in 2-0 Loss to #15 Dowling
Box Score The Mercy College men's soccer team had a five-game unbeaten
streak snapped tonight with a 2-0 loss to #15 Dowling College, in a
game played under the lights of White Plains High School. The match
was the East Coast Conference opener for Mercy (3-2-2, 0-1 ECC),
while for Dowling (4-0-1, 2-0 ECC), it was their second.
The game doubled as the ECC Respect game, where extra emphasis
was placed on promoting a positive game environment and
sportsmanship by participants, coaches and fans.
In a hard fought game, both teams had opportunities
to score early on. In the 21st minute, Mercy had a
golden chance, only to have senior Hugo
Bernal (Guadalajara, Mexico/Irvington) hit the far
post on a set piece. Minutes later, at the 28:30 mark, Dowling
scored the game's first goal when Joseph Henton
sent a crossing pass into the box and Modou Seck
headed the ball into the goal. Just ten minutes later, Dowling
scored the only other goal of the game when Sean
Dougherty caught Mercy keeper Pedro Velazquez-Diaz (Walden, N.Y./Newberry
College) too far out of the goal and pounded a 45-yard
shot over his head.
Both teams would have chances throughout the second half, but
both keepers stood the test. Both keepers, Velazquez-Diaz for Mercy
and Chris Kucera for Dowling, made four saves. On
the back line for Mercy, junior Ben Latchford (Solihull, England/Sacred Heart
College) and sophomore Moustapha Dioum (Harlem, N.Y./Monroe
CC) played exceptionally well.
Statistically, Mercy out-shot Dowling 15-13, while each team
took six corners.
Mercy now has a week's time to prepare for its next test, at the
University of Bridgeport, on September 25, at 6:00 p.m.
