Naci's Debut Brace, Cano’s Header Lifts Men’s Soccer Past Baruch in Season Opener
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Sophomore winger Victor Naci (Bordeaux, France/Bernard Palissy) recorded his first two goals as a Bear, finding the back of the net in either half, as the St. Joseph's University, NY (Brooklyn) men's soccer team won its opening match, 3-0, over Baruch College on Thursday afternoon at Aviator Field.
Fellow sophomore Jesus Cano (Brooklyn, N.Y./Cristo Rey Brooklyn) also got on the scoresheet for the first time this season, scoring in the 67th minute.
How it Happened
The Bears (1-0) outshot the Bearcats (0-1), 3-1, in the opening 20 minutes of the contest. Seven minutes later, Francisco Garcia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Park Slope Collegiate) found Naci who juked a pair of Baruch defenders and got the ball past a diving keeper for the opening goal of the match. The Bears remained a goal to the good entering the half.
The navy and gray remained on the offensive for the second 45 minutes. At 67', Cano headed home a feed off Diego Volpe's (Long Branch, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) corner kick, marking his second-consecutive tally in a season-opening match. Before the match was said and done, with seven seconds left on the clock, Pablo Mejia (Elmhurst, N.Y./Academy of Finance and Enterprise) had his shot blocked before Naci netted the rebound to secure his double and the Bears' 3-0 triumph.
For the Bears
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Naci is the first Bear to score two goals in a season opener since Raul Urshela bagged a brace in the program's first-ever match in September 2011.
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Naci led all players with eight shots, three of which on frame.
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Mejia was second with three shots.
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SJBK outshot the visitors, 20-9; totaling 15 shots in the second half.
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Garcia, Volpe, and Mejia were all credited with assists.
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Junior Leonel Bravo (Astoria, N.Y./Queens Vocational & Technical) made a pair of saves in his first start between the sticks.
Up Next
The Bears welcome New Jersey City University to Randall's Island on Wednesday, September 7 as they continue their four-match homestand to begin the season. The match kicks off at 7 pm with live stats and video available on sjbkathletics.com/live.