Koki Hat Trick Keeps No. 24 Men's Soccer Undefeated
Box Score CALDWELL, N.J. (Sept. 12, 2012) – Senior forward William Koki (Aurora, Colo.) matched his career high and doubled his goal total for the young season with a hat trick as the No. 24 Mercy College men's soccer team stayed undefeated with a 3-3 draw at Caldwell College on Wednesday evening.
Mercy's record stands at 5-0-1 ahead of the team's East Coast Conference opener on Saturday, while Caldwell picks up its first positive result of the season to move to 0-3-1.
The Mavericks were just as dominant offensively as they have been all season, putting nine shots on goal to the Cougars' five, and managed to overcome the superstition that a debut national ranking often precedes a loss and will still head into the weekend ECC opener undefeated.
The Cougars notched first as senior forward Facundo Zalazar (Buenos Aires City, Argentina) put them ahead in the 14th minute off a long ball into the box.
Koki equalized in the 28th minute as he ran onto a through ball and slotted it home from 15 yards out, but the Cougars went back ahead just a minute later when junior forward Kris Olsen-Barr (Brick, N.J.), who had assisted on the opener, sent another cross in to sophomore midfielder Tim Centineo (Holmdel, N.J.) who put it away to regain the lead.
Koki responded just before halftime, however, as he blasted a one-touch pass from sophomore midfielder Ryan Flynn (Valley Stream, N.Y.) into the net from 10 yards out to level the score heading into the break.
Caldwell would take the lead for a third time at the 62nd minutes on another Zalazar goal, but Koki had one more in him as well and equalized for a third time in the 78th minute. The Mavericks looked ready to ride the momentum to their sixth straight victory, but just seconds after play restarted, senior center back Manuel Paulino (Barranquilla, Colombia) picked up his second yellow card of the game and was sent off, leaving Mercy a man down for the remainder of the match. The 10-man squad that remained fought valiantly to stay alive through the end of regulation and two overtime periods, coming out with a positive result in the draw and keeping their unbeaten record intact.
Koki's hat trick was the second of his career and brings his season goals total to six, which ranks third in Division II and puts him in the top 25 in goals-per-game. Junior forward Ransmond Aboagye (Bronx, N.Y.) played a tireless shift up front as well, putting three shots on frame and picking up an assist on Koki's third goal along with senior center back Moustapha Dioum (Harlem, N.Y.). Sophomore forward Andrew Levy (Bayside, N.Y.) had a hand in a pair of assists as well, while junior goalkeeper Nick Papas (Castleton, N.Y.) made two saves between the posts.
Zalazar and Olsen-Barr were two of only three Cougars to get a shot on net, with sophomore midfielder Yousef Elhusseini (Old Bridge, N.J.) putting the final two on frame, and freshman goalkeeper Michael Hartmann (Medford, N.J.) making six saves in goal.
Head Coach Chris Smith and the Mavericks will look to carry their unbeaten streak into conference play as they travel to Rockville Centre, N.Y. on Saturday, Sept. 15 to take on rival Molloy College (2-3-0). Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.; fans can follow the match online via live stats and audio.
