Bears Notch First Win in Program History Defeating Webb, 10-2

BROOKLYN, NY – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team notched their first win in program history defeating Webb Institute, 10-2, in a Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference game on Saturday afternoon at Brooklyn Technical High School Field.

It is the first win for the newly formed program which achieved varsity status this season, becoming the 12th varsity sport for Brooklyn Athletics, which also achieved full NCAA Division III membership effective September 1.

From the opening kickoff, the Bears applied pressure on the Webb defense keeping the ball in their defensive third for much of the half and building a 7-0 lead by the intermission. Senior Nick Polo (Madrid, Spain/Millennium HS) opened the scoring in the 10th minute intercepting a turnover in the defensive zone and burying it from the top of the box for his first collegiate goal. Two minutes later, the Bears' leading goal scorer Raul Urshela (Orlando, FL/Colonial) put away a ball from about 10 yards out on a feed from Gabriel Gonzalez (Guayaquil, Ecuador/25 de Agosto), who picked up his team-leading third assist.

The Bears then poured in the goals in highlight reel fashion. Gonzalez scored his second goal of the season on a direct free kick from 25 yards out on the far right wing that he bent over the goalie and just underneath the crossbar. Derrick Akwei (Bronx, NY/Port Angeles HS) also scored from long range in the 26th minute, taking a ball off a throw in on the far left wing, taking two dribbles and shooting to the top left corner from 25 yards out. Two minutes later, Urshela scored on an acrobatic bicycle kick from the top of the box that will surely be one of the top goals of the season. Urshela completed his first career hat-trick just one minute later, capping three Bears' goals in three minutes, scoring again from inside the box past the defenseless goalie putting a ball off the inside left post. Gonzalez scored again in the 39th minute to complete the first half scoring.

The second half was much quieter with neither team scoring in the first 20 minutes. St. Joseph's continued to apply the pressure but the Webb defense minimized the scoring opportunities and they also managed to counter-attack, registering nine second half shots. For the game, the Bears outshot the Webbies 26-14. In the 68th minute, Urshela broke the silence, capping a four goal day and scoring his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Two minutes later, the Bears dialed in again from long distance with Omar Al-Dulimi (Brooklyn, NY/Manhatttan International) finding the back of the net from about 30 yards out over the leaping goalie.

The Bears starting lineup featured three women and three more came in as substitutes. In the 86th minute, the women contributed to the scoring. Daniela Semilia (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) took a ball on the left wing on a 2-on-1 opportunity and sent the ball across to the right side to Cynthia Gambino (Bishop Kearney/Brooklyn, NY) who finished off the goal becoming the first female goal scorer in SJC men's soccer history.

Webb (0-4, 0-4 HVMAC) scored two late goals to ruin freshman Michael Miner (Schenevus, NY/Schenevus) hopes for his first career shutout. In the 88th minute, Miner was called for a foul while diving to make a save on a fast break, granting Webb a penalty kick which Schuyler Needham converted. Needham scored again a minute later on a half volley from the top of the penalty box. In his first collegiate win, Miner finished with eight saves.

St. Joseph's (1-3, 1-2 HVMAC) returns to action on the road facing Purchase College on Tuesday, October 4th starting at 8 p.m.