Athletics at Stevens compete within the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom divisions and are a part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The goal for most athletes during the regular season is to place high enough in the MAC rankings to go onto the conference championship. Recently, that goal was achieved by Men’s soccer here as the Ducks won 3-0 against the Misericordia University Cougars on October 22 at the DeBaun Athletic complex. This win improved the Duck’s record to 13-0-2 for the season and 6-0-1 for conference play.
Both teams offered quite a challenge to the opposing goaltenders. Each team shot many times at the net, but throughout the match, Stevens was the only team to score, with one goal in the first half and two in the second half. The only goal from the first half came in the 20th minute when Stevens senior Bruno Andino corralled a rebound shot from graduate student Adam Silva. Although the Ducks scored the only goal, both teams had six shots within the first 45 minutes of play.
At the beginning of the second half, Stevens increased their score when graduate student Sean Masur kicked a shot to the top left corner of the net from the edge of the six-yard box with the help of an assist from senior Emerson Kuzemka, securing a steady lead of 2-0 over the Cougars. The third and final goal of the match came later in the game during the 71st minute. Sophomore Emerico Vespucci raced down the left side of the field, outmaneuvering the Cougar’s defenseman, shooting a cross-shot to Kuzemka, who quickly shot the ball for the Duck’s third and final goal of the match.
Throughout the game, the Ducks had a number of stand-out moments from multiple players. For one, senior goaltender Justin Cross saved four goals throughout the 85 minutes, making the game a shutout, with fellow year-four Jose Pena making his first career save. With the outstanding performance of these two, the ducks have now gone for eight games without allowing a single goal. This victory marks the first Stevens win over Misericordia since 2019.
Following this match, the Ducks faced off against Arcadia University in their last regular game of the season on October 25. They won at a margin of 3-0, with Vespucci with one goal, Cross with two, and senior Sean Ryan with an assist, as the ducks again flourished with 12 shots and five shots on goal, to Arcadia’s eight and three, respectively.
The Ducks now go on to the MAC championship tournament. The first match was on November 3 at 7 p.m. Winning the MAC championship automatically qualifies Stevens for the NCAA Division III championship. With their exceptional performance during the regular season, the Ducks have demonstrated their ability to get work done on the field. Their record is 14-0-2, and a conference record of 7-0-1. Best of luck to the Ducks as they play for the MAC Championship.
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