Men’s Soccer Nets Four Past Medgar Evers in Second-Straight Shutout Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Medgar Evers (0-3-0, 0-0-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
St. Joseph's (Bklyn) (2-1-0, 0-0-0) | 1 | 3 | 4 |
NEW YORK — Behind a brace from reigning Skyline Conference Offensive Player of the Week Diego Volpe (Long Branch, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) and strikes from Menzi Simelane (Johannesburg, South Africa/St. Stithians College) and Alex Helfant (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International), the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team claimed a 4-0 triumph over Medgar Evers College (0-3) on Wednesday evening from Randall's Island.
It's the second shutout in as many games for the Bears; improving to 2-1 on the season.
How it Happened
Scoring opened in the 29th minute as Simelane played a direct free-kick – from the top of the 18 – past the keeper's left, giving the Bears the 1-0 edge going into the break. The navy and gray would continue to find chances, outshooting the Cougars 35-3, with Matthew Helfant (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International) coming close to adding a second for SJC when his headed chance hit the left woodwork before the rebound went wide of the goal.
The Bears ended the game with three goals in the final five minutes. Jesus Cano (Brooklyn, N.Y./Cristo Rey Brooklyn) fed Volpe a through-ball in the 85th minute that found the back of the net for the Bears' second. Arturo Franco (Brooklyn, N.Y./Grover Cleveland) provided the assist three minutes later to complete Volpe's brace. Helfant joined in on the scoring act as his strike from beyond the box beat the keeper with two seconds to spare, sealing the 4-0 W.
Highlights
MSOC (Highlight) | Simelane scores on a free kick in the 1st half for his first collegiate goal and game-winner#BearWitnessSJC #SJCNY #d3soc pic.twitter.com/9CudskDS9I
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) September 16, 2021
MSOC (Highlight) | Volpe finishes a feed from Cano for an insurance goal in the 85th minute. #BearWitnessSJC #SJCNY #d3soc pic.twitter.com/uFKhhh4ACl
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) September 16, 2021
MSOC (Highlight) | Some nice passing from Cano and Franco sets up an easy finish for Volpe to bag his first collegiate brace just over a minute later.#BearWitnessSJC #SJCNY #d3soc pic.twitter.com/KjcqyJzWJU
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) September 16, 2021
MSOC (Highlight) | A. Helfant beats the final whistle scoring his first collegiate goal with 2 seconds remaining in regulation#BearWitnessSJC #SJCNY #d3soc pic.twitter.com/KuomUQr6Mq
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) September 16, 2021
For the Bears
- The goals scored by Simelane and Helfant were the first for each in a Bears kit.
- Cano took a team-leading 11 shots with Volpe, Helfant, and Franco all combining for 15 (five shots each).
- Alejandro Oliveros (Brooklyn, N.Y./Grover Cleveland) and Luther Saint-Jean (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Origins High School) preserved the clean sheet with the latter stopping the Cougars' lone shot on target in the 48th minute.
- The win streak is the first for the Bears since the 2016 season when the Bears assembled two separate streaks of two-in-a-row. The program-best win streak is three games set in the 2014 season.
Up Next
The Bears will visit the Lorenzo Ferrari Soccer & Lacrosse Complex on the campus of Bard College for a meeting with the Raptors on Saturday, September 18 at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com/live.