Prior to the start of the season, the East Coast Conference preseason poll revealed that the Knights were ranked second out of nine. Looking back on last season, the Knights had a successful season with a record of 13-7 and a 6-2 conference record, narrowly losing in the conference semifinals.
Many critical players that returned this year include senior midfielder Adolfo Martinez Paquet, senior midfielder Leo Pinto, and junior defender Jose Mendez, just to name a few. With a bunch of new players on the roster, the team is looking to make even more noise this year.
Currently, sophomore Harry Cooke, a transfer from Lincoln Memorial University, is leading the team with 19 points this season. Cooke has contributed eight goals and three assists thus far. He has also earned four ECC Honor Roll spots on the weekly award sheet.
Additionally, the Knights have debuted four different starters in the goal this season, recording a total of 57 saves. Senior goalie Austin Matthews from California earned an Honor Roll spot on October 23rd. Similarly, sophomore goalie Jake Balme from England also earned an Honor Roll spot on September 11th.
Another key player is Senior Adolfo Martinez Paquet from Spain. He is second on the team behind Harry Cooke with 16 points this season. Paquet has tallied three goals and leads the team in assists with 10 so far. On October 9, he earned his second ECC Honor Roll spot of the year. Additionally, he has registered a point in 10 straight matches.
The Knights current record is 7-6-2 with a conference record is 4-3. The Knights played their most recent game on the road against Molloy University at RVC Sports Complex in Rockville Center, New York. The team won the game with a shutout score of 3-0.
With the Knights working together as a team, three different players were able to score a goal to add to the victory. The first goal was scored on a free kick in the first half from Cooke. The second goal came in the second half of the game by freshman Tommy Wagner, a transfer from Hofstra University with a tap-in for his first goal as a Knight. The last and final goal of the game came from an incredible through pass from sophomore Arvin Pereira to senior Juan Monge Allule on a beautiful slide kick to ensure the win against Molloy University. This win put the Knights in fourth place with one more conference game left to play.
Trying to push their way out of fourth place, the Knights will face D’Youville University on Saturday October 28th at home at 3:00 p.m. D’Youville University enters the week with a record of 0-11 and a record of 0-6 in conference play.
If they are able to win, the Knights will have a 5-3 ECC record and will solidify third place in the conference.
