Verjoni Scores as Men's Soccer Concludes 2014 Campaign at Queens
Box Score FLUSHING, N.Y. (Nov. 4, 2014) – Freshman Haxhi Verjoni (Cornwall, N.Y./Marlboro) scored a goal for the second game in a row as the Mercy College men's soccer team closed its 2014 season with an East Coast Conference (ECC) matchup at Queens College on Tuesday afternoon.
The Knights are now 5-9-1 overall and 3-7 in conference play, while the Mavericks end the season 3-14 overall and 2-8 in ECC games.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the first half as Mercy held an 8-6 edge in shots. The Mavericks forced Queens goalkeeper James Brostowski to make four saves in the frame, while Mercy sophomore goalkeeper Luis Lizarzaburu (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) stopped three shots as the teams headed into the break.
The game would remain scoreless in the second half until Paul Sandoval struck in the 67th minute for the home team to give them a 1-0 lead.
The Mavericks kept on applying pressure to the Knights backline looking for the equalizer and would find it in the 72nd minute when Verjoni found the back of the net off a feed from junior Juan Gatti (New Rochelle, N.Y./INJ (Monroe CC)) to make it 1-1.
Queens applied much of the pressure in the second half, outshooting Mercy 11-4 in the period and would force Lizarzaburu to make seven saves on his way to a ten-save afternoon.
With the game tied at 1-1 heading into the last minute, it looked like the two teams would need extra time but Pol Narbona would seal the win for the Knights with a goal with 56 seconds remaining that put the hosts up 2-1 and the Mavericks would run out of time to mount a comeback.
Gatti led Mercy with four shots and two shots on goal and now leads the team with six assists on the year. Verjoni and sophomore Gonzalo Prando (Jefferson Valley, N.Y./Lakeland) each fired away two shots apiece on the day.
