Firebirds Blanked by Bears, 4-0 in ECC Road Contest

OLD WESTBURY, NY – The University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team was defeated, 4-0 by East Coast Conference foe NYIT at President's Stadium Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Firebirds' three-game win-streak was snapped and they fell to 4-7-1 overall and 2-4 in league play. The Bears, meanwhile, won their 4^th straight game and improved to 6-4-1 overall and 3-2 in league play.

Krishen Patel put NYIT on the board just before the 15-minute mark in the first half, and the Bears went on to tally three goals in the second half to extend their lead. Philip Atbashyan scored off of an assist from Ben Wilson in the 50^th minute, Gonzalo Barroso added an unassisted goal in the 59^th minute, and John Camponeschi added the 4^th and final goal off of an assist from Alberto Salcedo at the 81-minute mark.

UDC had two quality scoring chances in the 2^nd half when senior forward Moussa Traore tried to follow his own shot near the 64-minute mark but was denied twice in succession by NYIT goalkeeper Alvaro Cruz. Also, a near-three minute stretch from the 75^th to 78^th minute saw UDC fire two shots on goal and take a corner kick. Each time, Cruz was up to the task.

The Bears out-shot UDC 19-8, took 11 shots on goal compared to UDC's five, and had a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks. Cruz, who improved to 4-0 as a starting goalkeeper, made a season-high five saves in his first shut-out of the season. Connor, who entered the game ranked 7^th in Division II in total saves, made seven stops but allowed four goals in a losing effort.

Next up, UDC will host its final home game of the season vs. non-region foe Gannon University of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The game will be played at Maryland SoccerPlex on October 14^th at 2 p.m.