Garden City, N.Y. — The Adelphi men's soccer team returned to the field on Wednesday night for a non-conference contest with local rival Queens College. 

Early on, the game saw a relatively even pace with both sides seeing attempts at goal. Queens held most of the possession but in the first 25 minutes, the Panthers outshot their undefeated counterpart seven to three. 

In the 40th minute, some quick passing saw the ball at the feet of Stephen Betz after a pass from Luca Boast. The former national champion took one touch before ripping a left shot across the box and past the keeper for an Adelphi lead. 

Queens came down minutes later but the shot sailed just wide and the Panthers took a 1-0 lead into the break. 

The second half was a tale of gritty defense from Adelphi. The Knights pressured the Panther backline for the final 45 minutes but the Cats did not break. Every chance from Queens resulted in either a clearance or a save from Andrea Farinella. 

As the game got chippier, the Panthers kept digging in, frustrating the opposition. The Adelphi defense stayed true to its game plan and some clutch sprints down the field from Lucas Nicolaou and Ryan Holt ran out to clock to secure a 1-0 Adelphi win. 

Head coach Gary Book and the Panthers will return to the field and to Northeast 10 play when they host American International College on Saturday at 7:00 PM.