Men’s Soccer Matches Program Wins Record Blanking Bulldogs in Battle of Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Freshman Daniel Goncalves (Astoria, N.Y./Cathedral Prep) scored in the first half, classmate Antonio Vidal (Woodhaven, N.Y./Christ the King) added an insurance goal in the second and fellow rookie Julian Rodriguez (Whitestone, N.Y./Bayside) stopped seven shots, including a penalty kick, to lead the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team to a 2-0 shutout over Brooklyn College on Monday afternoon.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 2, Brooklyn
• Records: St. Joseph's (7-10), Brooklyn (7-9-2)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. – BC Field

How It Happened

• The Bulldogs had the early opportunities firing off three shots in the first 17 minutes before the Bears drew first blood in the 19th minute when Kelvin Garcia found his high school teammate Daniel Goncalves with a cross that was deflected but landed on Goncalves right foot and he settled and fired the ball into the back of the net for the game-winner.
• The first goal sparked the defense as they allowed just two more shots until the intermission, despite surrendering five corner kicks, and both teams finished the opening period tied on shots, 5-5.
• The second stanza saw the hosts nearly tie the game just 11 minutes in when Jean-Luc Saint-Fleur's shot hit the crossbar and the follow up header was saved by Julian Rodriguez.
• Four minutes later, on the Bears first shot of the half, Antonio Vidal scored his second of the season dribbling past his defender from the midfield and shooting from a sharp angle to give SJC a two-goal cushion.
• Brooklyn had a chance to pull back within one just a minute later when they were granted a penalty kick after a hand ball in the box, but Rodriguez stuffed it and the ensuing rebound to preserve the clean sheet.
• On a game which they celebrated senior day, the hosts desperately searched for any score and fired off 14 shots in the half, with the defense limiting any good scoring opportunities and Rodriguez stopping all six shots to find their target.

For the Bears

• Freshman Daniel Goncalves scored his third goal of the season while Antonio Vidal scored his second. It was also Goncalves' first game-winning goal.
• Kelvin Garcia recorded his first assist of the season
• Freshman Julian Rodriguez finished with seven saves for his third shutout (two solo).

The Bear Facts

• The Bears win their first in the three-game series against their borough rivals. It was the first time the Kings county squads have met since 2012.
• Improving to 7-10, the Bears tie the program record for wins in a season, matching the 7-7-1 mark two seasons ago.
• SJC is 3-1 against CUNYAC foes this season, posting shutouts in all three of their victories.
• Freshmen have accounted for eight of the 23 Bears goals scored this season.
• Opponents are just 4-of-7 in penalty kick attempts against Rodriguez.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will wrap up their inaugural season under Head Coach Ovid Cusu on Wednesday, October 26 hosting SUNY College at Old Westbury in a Skyline Conference matchup starting at 4 p.m. at Aviator Field with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com. The team will also celebrate Senior Day honoring Beka Goduadze and John Kane in a ceremony pre-game.