Van der Lara Makes Seven Saves as Men's Soccer Posts 2-0 Shutout Victory Over ECC Foe Roberts Wesleyan
Box Score ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Sept. 18, 2016) – Led by seven saves in net from junior Kwantarian Van der Lara (Conway, Ark./Marshalltown CC) and goals from senior Gonzalo Prando (Jefferson Valley, N.Y./Lakeland) and junior Ericson Penate (Reseda, Calif./LA Mission JC), the Mercy College men's soccer team picked up a 2-0 victory over East Coast Conference (ECC) foe Roberts Wesleyan College on Sunday afternoon at RWC Stadium.
The Mavericks (5-0-1, 2-0 ECC) have won four games in a row, while the Redhawks (1-6, 0-2 ECC) have dropped five games in a row. Mercy continues its best start since the 2013 season and starts ECC play 2-0 for the first since 2013.
Prando recorded his third goal of the season and ended the contest with three shots on goal. Penate netted his team-high fifth goal of the season and concluded the game with three shots on goal. Sophomore Donovan Cesar (Jamaica, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and freshman Maximiliano Rebolledo-Camus (Santiago, Chile/Saint George's College) both distributed an assist and Van der Lara made seven saves for his fourth straight shutout victory.
Roberts Wesleyan was led by Malcolm Shaw who had a team high two shots on goal, while goalkeeper Ben Hastings made seven saves in a losing effort.
Mercy opened the contest with the first shot of the game in the 2nd minute by Penate, but the Redhawks came back with a shot on goal by Shaw in the 8th minute that Van der Lara was able to stop. The Mavericks responded with offensive pressure and forced Hastings to make three saves in the first 21 minutes of action, but the score still remained 0-0.
Van der Lara stepped up with two more saves in the 30th and 36th minutes to keep the hosts off the board. The game remained scoreless for nearly 42 minutes before Prando found the back of the net, heading a ball off a cross from Cesar from the left corner into the net to make it 1-0. Van der Lara made another stop right before halftime to keep the score at 1-0 as the two teams headed into halftime.
The second half saw the Redhawks come out with the first four shots of the half, but the Mavericks backline kept them off target and the score stayed 1-0 in favor of the Mavericks. Mercy came back with an offensive push of their own, forcing Hastings to make a pair of saves on two Prando shots.
After the final two saves of the day from Van der Lara, the Mavericks tacked on an insurance goal in the 84th minute when Penate took a pass across the face of the goal from Rebolledo-Camus and shot it past the keeper inside the 18 yard box to make it 2-0. Mercy controlled play the rest of the way and held on for the victory.
The Mavericks held a 19-18 edge in shots and an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks on the day.
Head Coach Pedro Velazquez and the Mavericks look to make it five straight wins when they host Dominican College on Wednesday, September 21st at 4 p.m.
