Strong Second Half Propels Men's Soccer Past John Jay, 3-1, Wednesday Afternoon

NEW YORK – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team utilized a strong second half to take down John Jay College (John Jay), 3-1, Wednesday afternoon at Randall's Island Park in New York, N.Y.  After a scoreless first half, the Blue Jays netted three goals to win their second straight game. The meeting was the first ever time that USJ and John Jay met on the pitch. With the result, the Blue Jays improve to 2-3-1 on the campaign, while the Bloodhounds drop to 1-4-0 overall.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Blue Jays started the game strong, as senior forward Henry McGarrah V (Hartford, Conn.) forced a pair of fine saves out of the John Jay goalkeeper.
• Freshman netminder Will Slayton (Manchester Conn.) was equally tested, producing an impressive double save with 19:43 on the clock, preserving the scoreless tie.
• Both teams continued to test the opposing goalkeepers, but neither team found the breakthrough, as the game remained scoreless entering halftime.
• USJ finally found the game's opening goal at the 54:15 mark, as sophomore forward Jeferson Leon (Cali, Colombia) expertly cut inside the box from the left wing, evading two defenders before rifling a low driven shot into the bottom left corner, establishing a 1-0 USJ lead.
• The Blue Jays wasted little time netting a second, as freshman midfielder Landon Coelho (Naugatuck, Conn.) made a heads-up play, picking out a wide-open junior defender Jeremy Gibbs (Waterford, Conn.) on the left wing during a free kick. Gibbs then whipped in a low driven cross that freshman midfielder Matt Clark (East Longmeadow, Mass) blasted into the top left corner, increasing the gap to 2-0 with 31 minutes left to play.
• USJ were given a golden chance to increase the lead at the 68:12 mark, being awarded a penalty after a Bloodhounds handball inside the 18-yard box. McGarrah V stepped up to take the kick, sending the keeper the wrong way and establishing a 3-0 USJ advantage.
• The Bloodhounds would answer back at the 74:10 mark, as Brayan Alvarez beat USJ freshman goalkeeper Aidan Peterson (Cheshire, Conn.) closing the deficit to 3-1.
• John Jay would be brought down to 10-men at the 87:08 mark, as Dan Da Silva was shown a red card.
• The hosts would not find another goal, as USJ took home a 3-1 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Leon and Clark netted their first goals of the season, and first in USJ uniforms.
• McGarrah V scored his team-leading third goal of the year.
• Gibbs recorded his first point in a USJ uniform, dishing out his first assist.
• Slayton played the opening 45 minutes, recording five saves.
• Peterson played the entire second half, earning the win (2-0-0) after making five saves.
• USJ held a 23-20 edge in shots, including a 14-12 advantage in shots on goal.
• John Jay generated seven corner kicks, compared to the Blue Jay's four. 

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Saturday, September 21 against Saint Joseph's College of Maine. Opening kickoff against the Monks at the SJC Athletics Complex in Standish, Maine, is slated for noon.

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