Last weekend both NYU men’s and women’s soccer teams faced University Athletic Associations rivals University of Chicago Maroons and number one-ranked University of Washington in St. Louis Bears.
On Friday at home in Gaelic Park, the men battled for 120 minutes in a thrilling double-overtime match against the Maroons. Despite the squad’s efforts, the Violets fell in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss.
“We were playing well throughout the game, but one of our guys got a red card, so we were down one guy,” senior Stern defender Juan Velez said.
Velez played the entire match and recorded three out of the nine shots attempted on goal.
In the 71st minute, senior Stern defender Joseph Lee, was red carded and subsequently ejected from the game after committing a foul in the 18-yard box.
However, Chicago could not capitalize on the penalty-kick opportunity and CAS freshman keeper Lucas Doucette, made a crucial save to keep the Violets in the game.
Even with one man down, the Maroons could not take advantage with the increased numbers, leaving the score tied at 0-0 through regulation and first OT. Doucette, with 18 saves, set an all-time record for the most saves by an NYU goalkeeper since 1993.
But the freshman could only hold on for so much until Chicago forward Kyle Kurfirst scored the winning goal in the 106th minute.
“We aren’t scoring early enough in the offense, and I misjudged the ball in the air at the end,” Doucette said. “We had it, and our defense was holding strong. But we just couldn’t pull through.”
Sunday morning, the men’s team faced the Bears for the last home game of the season and honored seven graduating seniors.
The Bears drew first blood in the 38th minute, when Michael Flowers finished a penalty kick. With the score at 0-1, the Violets answered just three minutes later, when senior CAS midfielder Colm Dillane made a penalty kick, knotting the game at 1-1.
In the second half, the Bears gained momentum in its offense, outshooting the Violets 11-3. The attacks paid off in the 85th minute when Jake Shapiro scored a late goal to put the Bears on top for a 2-1 victory.
The NYU women’s team faced a similar fate on Friday, suffering a 2-1 loss against the Maroons.
“I think we played well, but didn’t come out in the [second] half with the same fire as we did in the first,” junior forward and CAS student Cami Crawford said.
The Violets let up in the 47th minute when forward Natalia Jovanovic scored against NYU Steinhardt freshman keeper, Cassie Steinberg. Maroons midfielder Sara Kwan netted another goal in the 62nd minute. Down 0-2, senior CAS midfielder Erin Ahmed, scored late in the 77th minute, but it was not enough to level the game.
“We need to be able to put two solid strong halves together in order to pull through with a win,” Crawford said.
In their last home game of the season, the women’s game unfortunately ended in a 4-0 loss against the Bears.
The game was evenly matched between the two teams in the first 40 minutes of the game until the Bears netted a goal in the 41st minute, starting a series of attacks that continued throughout the second half. The Violets struggled to match the Bears’ offensive game, and the Bears outshot the team 12-3.
“We definitely fought hard and played well, but we just had a lack of concentration,” assistant coach Jen Leaverton said.
Both men and women await their last matches of the season against UAA rival Brandeis University Judges on Sunday, Nov. 17 at noon and 2:30 p.m., respectively, at home.
Michelle Tran is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
