Three Mavericks Score as Men's Soccer Picks up 3-0 Victory Over American International
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Sept. 7, 2016) – Senior Gonzalo Prando (Jefferson Valley, N.Y./Lakeland) and juniors Ericson Penate (Reseda, Calif./LA Mission JC) and Haxhi Verjoni (Cornwall, N.Y./Marlboro) each recorded a goal as the Mercy College men's soccer team came away with a 3-0 victory over American International College in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks improve to 2-0-1 with the win and are currently unbeaten on their home turf. The Yellow Jackets now drop to 2-1 overall for the year.
The first half was a close battle for both competitors, as neither the Mavericks nor the Yellow Jackets were able to find the back of the net in the first 45 minutes of the contest. It wasn't until the 69th minute of the contest that Penate was able to get the Mavericks on the board. With a cross from freshman Maximiliano Rebolledo-Camus (Santiago, Chile/Saint George's College), Penate was able to score his first goal of the season as he drilled the ball into the lower right corner of the goal.
Just two short minutes later, Verjoni increased the score to 2-0 with help from sophomore Donovan Cesar (Jamaica, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) after he scored his second goal of the season off of a free kick. Cesar now leads the Mavericks in assists with two. Prando would put the game away for the Mavericks in the 77th minute when he scored off of a penalty kick goal.
American International was led by Jake Durham who registered four shots. Daniel Amdahl added three shots with two shots on goal in the contest. Sebastian Tamayo made two saves in a losing effort.
Both teams opened up the contest in a head-to-head battle. The Mavericks concluded the first half of play with five shots compared to American International's four. Sophomore Lucca Lacerda (Passos, Brazil/Monroe College) led the Mavericks in the first half offensively as he fired off three shots.
It was the second half that the Mavericks came out ready to play. Mercy controlled the second half of the game as they fired off 11 shots. Junior goalkeeper Kwantarian Van der Lara (Conway, Ark./Marshalltown CC) played the full 90 minutes in net and picked up the shutout with three saves to improve to 2-0-1 in net on the year.
The Mavericks outshot the Yellow Jackets 16-11, while corner kicks were even at 5-5 on the day.
Head Coach Pedro Velazquez and the Mavericks will look to get another win as they host Felician University on Saturday, September 10 at 3:00 p.m.
