No. 3 Stevens Men's Soccer Continues Hot Start with 5-0 Home Opener Win Over NYU-Poly

HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 4, 2013) – The No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team continued its hot start to the season with a dominant 5-0 win over NYU-Polytechnic in the Ducks' home opener on Wednesday night.

The Ducks had complete control throughout the game as they cracked 24 shots, 14 of which were on frame, while limiting the Blue Jays to a lone effort on goal which senior goalkeeper Paul Killian (Ellicott City, Md.) did not have to move to stop.

Stevens improved to 3-0-0 with the shutout and raised its goal ratio to 14:1, while NYU-Poly fell to 0-2-0.
Stevens got on the board almost immediately as junior midfielder Quinn Conner (Exeter, N.H) got onto the end of a low cross to the back post from senior midfielder Edward Rupp (Sayville, N.Y.) and coolly slotted it past sophomore goalkeeper Paul Lima (Weston, Fla.) in the second minute.

Rupp found another Duck with a low cross in the 24^th minute as sophomore forward Carson Pryor (St. Louis, Mo.) shook off his defender directly in front of the net and tapped the ball in for the 2-0 lead.

Sophomore midfielder Colin Phillips (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) made it 3-0 in the 35^th minute when he ran onto a long ball over the defense from the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week, freshman forward Jay Mikula (Howell, N.J.), and headed it past Lima for his team-lead-tying third goal of the young season.

Sophomore wing Joe Cellitti (Mendham, N.J.) got on the board just two minutes later as he won a ball from a scramble in front of the net following a pair of rebounded shots and punched it through the fray to give Stevens the 4-0 lead heading into halftime.

Even as NYU-Poly pressed higher up the field in the second half, Stevens continued to hold its overwhelming edge and found another goal in the 66^th minute as senior wingChristian Grapel (Grass Valley, Calif.) ran onto a low cross from freshman forward Chris Renna (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and slotted it under Lima.

Killian made one save on NYU-Poly's lone attempt on goal, helping the team to its second consecutive shutout as he made way for junior goalkeeper Brian Schaake(Southbury, Conn.) in the 62^nd minute.

Head Coach Devin Rensing and the Ducks will face The College of New Jersey (1-1) in Ewing, N.J. on Wednesday, Sept. 11.