Naci’s Second-Half Brace Sees Men’s Soccer Win Battle Over Elements, Purchase

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) men's soccer team used a second-half brace from junior striker Victor Naci (Bordeaux, France/Bernard Palissy) to defeat Purchase College, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon from a drenched Aviator Field.

The win brings the Bears to 4-4 in Skyline Conference play (5-7 overall) and places the Bears in fifth place in the standings, good enough for a playoff position.

How it Happened

The two sides combined for 14 shots in the first half but were unable to break the deadlock. However, the Panthers broke the deadlock within the hour mark. The Bears equalized in the 72nd minute when Naci scored on a 40-yard pass from Francisco Garcia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Park Slope Collegiate), colliding with the Purchase keeper in the process. Five minutes later, Jesus Cano (Brooklyn, N.Y./Cristo Rey Brooklyn) fed Naci with a ball that chipped said Panther keeper to give the navy and gray the one-goal advantage, 2-1. The Bears kept the visitors off the board, not even allowing Purchase to register a shot in the final 13 minutes, to hold on to their third-consecutive home win.

For the Bears

• Naci brings his career goal total at St. Joseph's to 31, two shy of Kenneth Garcia's program record (33). His brace marked his eighth and ninth goals of the season.

• Garcia and Cano provided their third assists of the campaign.

• Bryan Lucero (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School of Telecommunication Arts & Technology) finished with four shots while Naci and Garcia each had three.

• Between the sticks, Christian Chimborazo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Queens Technical) came away with six saves and his third win of the season.

Up Next

Looking to hold onto their playoff place, the Bears play their final away match of the season against Mount Saint Mary College on Tuesday, October 17. Kickoff from Newburgh is slated for 7 pm with live stats and video available on sjbkathletics.com/live.