TEANECK, NJ - Taking the pitch for the first time in the 2024 season, the Yeshiva men's soccer team picked up an opening day win, outlasting the SUNY Old Westbury Panthers by a score of 1-0 on Sunday, Sept 1.
Offensively, the Maccabees were led by
Rafael Cohen, with the graduate student's second half goal accounting for the only score of the game.
On the defensive end, Yeshiva saw their smothering unit helmed by goalkeeper
Kellian Marty, as the French native kicked off his second season in blue and white with a convincing clean sheet.
With the win, the Macs rush out to a 1-0 record on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both squads remained scoreless throughout the first half, with the scoreboard reading 0-0 as the horn blew. YU were not without their opportunities to find the back of the net through the first 45 minutes however, with Ivan Zirlinger and Franco Busso both putting shots on frame, only to see them turned away by the Panther keeper.
- The Maccabees finally broke through in the 60th minute. Capitalizing on a midfield turnover from Old Westbury, a pair of beautiful passes from Busso and Andrea Lacche set Cohen up in a 1v1 situation with his defender. The striker proved faster as he quickly outran his man, catching the ball on a bounce and deftly guiding it ixnto the bottom right hand corner of the net, past the outstretched hand of Old Westbury's goalie.
- While YU's offense would not find paydirt again, the Maccabee defense proved up to the task of maintaining the team's lead. Marty faced down 12 shots throughout 90 minutes, racking up four saves, including a crucial one in the 85th minute that turned away Old Westbury's last chance to even the contest.
MAC LEADERS
Goals: Cohen (1)
Assists: Busso (1), Lacche (1)
Saves: Marty (4)
UP NEXT
Hitting the road for the first time this season, the Maccabees will travel to Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 7:00 PM.
