Men's Soccer Blanks John Jay to Move to 2-0

NEW YORK — After going winless last season, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team is off to their best start in their six-year history picking up their second straight win defeating John Jay College, 2-0, behind a first-half goal from Beka Goduadze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Lyceum "HK") and six saves from Julian Rodriguez (Whitestone, N.Y./Bayside) who combined for the shutout.

The Basics

• Final Score:  St. Joseph's 2, John Jay 0
• Records: St. Joseph's (2-0), John Jay (1-2)
• Location: New York, N.Y.
• Field: Randalls Island Field 75

How It Happened

• The Bears controlled a good portion of play in the first half and struck first in the 21st minute when Michael Ortiz (Bushwick, N.Y./Christ the King) delivered a free kick into the box that was put away by Goduadze. St. Joseph's finished with a 10-4 shot advantage in the opening 45.
• The second stanza saw John Jay apply more pressure but the Bears defense held strong and minimized any quality scoring opportunities only surrendering three more shots and one corner in the period.
• With the Bears counterattacking late in the game, a ball misplayed in the box by the Bloodhound defense for an own goal in the 87th minute sealed the victory.

Post-Game Quotes - Head Coach Ovid Cusu

"I thought we were the better team in the first half, but we had the chances to put the game away. In the beginning of the second half we gave up possession and they were playing more in our third, however, we were able to defend."

"Today, similar to the Yeshiva game, we were better for two-thirds of the game and struggled for one-third of the game, so we're not there yet, but we're still working."

For the Bears

• Goduadze has scored in both games this season and has a three-game goal scoring streak dating back to last season. His tally was the 20th of his career and his third-game winner moves him into a three-way tie for the all-time Bears record.
• Michael Ortiz recorded his first point of the season and the ninth of his career.
• Rookie Julian Rodriguez made six saves playing 87 minutes in net. Fellow freshman Juan Sandoval made his collegiate debut and closed out the final three minutes for the combined shutout.

The Bear Facts

• The Bears improve to 2-0 for the first time in program history and move above .500 by two games for the first time.
• St. Joseph's levels the all-time series at 1-1 in the first meeting since October 19, 2012, a 9-1 victory for the Bloodhounds.
• The shutout was the fourth all-time and the first for Bears since October 17, 2014 against Sarah Lawrence. All three previous shutouts were recorded by Michael Miner '15.

Next up for St. Joseph's

Riding a two-game win streak, the Bears head to the SJC Long Island campus this weekend for the SJC Tournament. In a battle of two unbeatens, the Bears face New Jersey City University (4-0) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Live stats will be available on SJCBears.com