Men's Soccer Dominates in 3-0 Win Over Philadelphia
Box Score BOXSCORE – Mercy vs. Philadelphia
DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 26, 2011) – On Wednesday afternoon the Mercy College men's soccer team hosted Philadelphia University looking to put an end to an eight-game losing streak full of hard-luck one-goal losses. Playing some of their best soccer all season, the Mavericks came away with a dominant 3-0 victory, improving their record to 6-9-1 and dropping Philadelphia to 5-11.
The entire squad played as well or better than it had all year, displaying exceptional ball movement and chemistry from the opening whistle. With a revamped lineup featuring freshman forward Roberto Dashi (Nyack, N.Y.) as a lone striker flanked by two wings and several central midfielders, the Mavericks exhibited an attacking prowess unlike anything they had shown to date. Combined with a career game from junior center back Manuel Paulino (Barranquilla, Colombia) in patrolling the defensive third of the pitch, Mercy was as formidable an opponent as any.
The Mavericks struck quickly as freshman midfielder Daniel Leon (Flushing, N.Y.) launched a long shot that deflected off a defender's back and onto Dashi's foot. The striker tipped it over freshman goalkeeper Thomas Attamante (West Orange, N.J.)'s shoulder and into the upper corner at the far post for his first career goal and the 1-0 lead.
Thanks to Dashi's impressive hustle, sophomore midfielder Mustaffa Alobeidy (Baghdad, Iraq)'s work on the wings to supply crosses and exceptional ball movement from the rest of the team, the Mavericks dictated the pace of play through most of the first half. The Rams managed to get some breakaways and slowly built up attacks as the half wound down, but Mercy held on to take its advantage into the break.
As the second half got under way, it was clear that Philadelphia would not go down without a fight, as the Rams matched the Mavericks shot-for-shot for the opening 20 minutes. Mercy was more unlucky not to find another goal during that span, however, as a low rocket by Alobeidy and several dangerous attempts by senior midfielder Collin Legge (Schodack, N.Y.) were snuffed out on brilliant saves by Attamante. One Rams effort nearly evened the score, but a tip-out by sophomore goalkeeper Nick Papas (Castleton, N.Y.) and an open-goal clearance from Paulino kept the Mavericks ahead.
The gates broke open in the 75th minute when Legge curled a sharp corner toward the near post, which junior midfielder Moustapha Dioum (Harlem, N.Y.) flicked on with a header into the upper corner at the far post for the two-goal lead. A slew of yellow cards followed on some hard Philadelphia fouls and words being exchanged between the two teams, but things calmed down just in time for the Mavericks to get another insurance goal in the 84th minute.
Junior forward William Koki (Aurora, Colo.), in his second game back from a four-match bereavement leave, had just received a yellow card for dissent and with his substitute waiting at midfield split a pair of defenders on the end line and punched in a low shot from a tight angle for his team-leading ninth goal of the season.
As the match wound down, Mercy defended its shutout relentlessly, and despite some dangerous attempts by the Rams held on to post the 3-0 final to post their first win of the month.
Mercy totaled a whopping 15 shots in the match, forcing six saves of Attamante while Papas made four to record his third shutout of the season.
Head Coach Chris Smith and the Mavericks (6-9-1 overall, 1-5 in the ECC) will close out their season on Saturday as they head to Dowling College (5-6-3, 0-4-2). Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m.
