Box Score
Garden City, NY - Kicking off the start of the 2014 season with the Adelphi Alumni Invitational, the Adelphi University men's soccer team defated Mercy 4-2 behind two goals in each half.
The Panthers (1-0) were led by a goal and an assist from junior midfielder
John Stojcevski. Senior
Jordan Hibbert and
Diego Zuniga along with sophomore forward
TJ Butler each tallied a goal while freshman
Kenneth Indergard contributed an assist. Senior keeper
Ahmad Salamah made four saves in goal for the victory.
Sophomore back Gonzalo Prando struck the first goal for the Mavericks (0-1) while senior forward Alex Cruz picked up the assist. Senior midfielder Danny Leon, Jr. put in the final tally on a penalty kick. Additionally, sophomore goalie Luis Lizarzaburu notched 10 saves between the pipes.
The connection of Stojcevski to Hibbert got the scoring initiated as a cross from Stojcevski found Hibbert in the right place inside the box as he placed the ball inside the right post with a header to put Adelphi up 1-0. Mercy responded with the equalizer in the 22nd minuted as Cruz found Prando for a header.
After a scramble in front following a corner, Indergard sent the ball in from about 22 yards out that deflected to the feet of Butler. Butler proceeded to collect and put the play into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead with less than 10 minutes until halftime.
The Brown and Gold came out quickly after the break as Stojcevski set himself up with a strike that he placed into the top left corner of the goal, increasing the Panther lead to 3-1. Zuniga bumped the advantage to 4-1 with his own unassisted goal less than two minutes later.
Mercy kept the attack despite the deficit, paying off with foul inside the box. Leon Jr. made true on the penalty kick to cut the Brown and Gold lead to 4-2. However, the Adelphi backline stood its ground and protected the lead for the final 10 minutes, closing out the season-opening victory.
Earlier in the night, Southern Connecticut State upset the number eight ranked LIU Post Pioneers 1-0 in the Invitational's first game.
The four-team event continues on Saturday. Mercy and Southern Connecticut State get things going with a 5:00 pm start from Motamed Field followed by the host Panthers and LIU Post at approximately 7:30 pm. Those that are unable to attend the game can watch the action live at www.aupanthers.tv free of charge presented by TD Bank.
