NYU Moves on to ECAC Metro Semis
The New York University men's soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Championship with a 3-1 victory over Ramapo College on Friday, November 9, at Gaelic Park in Riverdale, NY.
The fourth-seeded seed Violets (11-7-1) trailed the fifth-seeded Roadrunners (8-9-1) 1-0 at halftime, but scored three second-half goals to come back for the postseason win. NYU will now host the semifinals and finals of the ECAC Metro Championship on Saturday and Sunday at Gaelic Park. The Violets will face #8 seed College of Staten Island at 1:00 pm on Saturday with a trip to the finals on the line.
Highlights
- Rob Santaniello gave Ramapo the lead in the 38th minute. Anthony Pasciolla sent a cross to Santaniello, who ripped a left-footed shot off goalkeeper Jonas Poster and in.
- NYU began its comeback in the 64th minute, tying things up on a goal from Nimo Freitag Bergstroem. After the Roadrunners failed to clear a free kick into the box, KC Eboh headed a pass back to Freitag Bergstroem, who buried it to the left post.
- Chris Ramirez netted the go-ahead goal in the 74th minute on a corner. Anthony Baini played the corner kick to Kyle Green, who headed it to Ramirez at the left post. Ramirez then headed it in under the crossbar.
- The Violets added their third goal with just 3.2 seconds left. Green made a long run at goal, which goalkeeper Steve Monaghan charged and broke up. However, the loose ball came to Paolo Luciano, who put it in to the empty net before time expired.
- For the game, NYU held a 24-16 advantage in shots and a 6-3 edge in corners. Poster made five saves in goal to earn the win, while Monaghan made seven stops for Ramapo.
"I thought we played very well," said Head Coach Joe Behan. "That was a great goal by Chris Ramirez and a great layoff by Kyle Green. Also, the freshmen did well tonight."
Following the Violets' 1:00 pm semifinal match against Staten Island on Saturday, #2 seed Richard Stockton College will take on the winner of #3 New Jersey City University/#6 Brooklyn College at 3:30 pm. The ECAC Metro finals are slated for 7:00 pm on Sunday at Gaelic Park.
