The last time “The Ionian” checked in with the men’s soccer team, the squad had just started Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, and went undefeated through their first couple of games. Since then, the team has played five more games, all of them MAAC games, meaning all of them are important in determining how well the team would place in the playoffs. Throughout those five games, the Gaels continued to dominate the MAAC, winning most of the games they played.
The first of those five games came on Oct. 12 when the Gaels traveled to Lewinston, New York, to take on the Niagara Purple Eagles. The Gaels would start scoring early, with forward Bautista Rossi scoring within the first 20 minutes. The team would continue scoring, with goals from midfielders Jose Silva and Jad Benjelloun as well as forward Francesco Borla and defender Dino Feratovic coming throughout the game. The score at the end of the game was 5-1 in favor of the Gaels. The next game would come on Oct. 19 when the Gaels would play the Siena Saints on the road. This game is where the four-game undefeated streak for the Gaels would come to an end, as the Gaels would blow the 1-0 lead they had after the 56th minute. The team would end up losing the game, 2-1.
The Gaels would return home on Oct. 23 to take on the Marist Red Foxes. Great defense from the Gaels, in addition to a 29th minute goal from midfielder Alvaro Maneiro, would propel the Gaels to victory, 1-0. A similar result would be seen in the game against Quinnipiac on Oct. 26, but instead of a 29th minute goal from Maneiro, it was a 76th minute goal from midfielder Sergio Gonzalez Fernandez.
The great defensive play during the Quinnipiac game would see goalie Fernando Alves Schmelz be named MAAC Rookie of the Week, the second award Schemlz has received this season. The Gaels would play their last home game of the regular season on Nov. 3 when they hosted the rival Manhattan Jaspers. The game was also the “Senior Day” for the team, where seven players were honored for their accomplishments with the program. The players honored were defenders Tim Tinchenko and Nathaniel David, midfielders Silva, Antonio Garcia, and Ricardo Senen Pinillos, and goalkeeper Michael Hesse. But, despite the game being for the seniors, a freshman forward would be responsible for the team’s victory. Rossi scored both goals for the Gaels in a 2-1 victory.
The men’s soccer team closes their season on the road against St. Peter’s on Nov. 6. Then, the Gaels play in the MAAC Championship Tournament starting on Nov. 10 with the quarterfinals. If they make it farther than that, the semifinals are on Nov. 14 and the championship game will take place on Nov. 17.
