POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Marist men's soccer team defeated Saint Peter's on Saturday night, 2-1. Senior Gerry Ceja (Port Chester, N.Y.) and junior Myles Ashong (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) scored one goal each for the Red Foxes. Marist moves to 1-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play.
“I was proud of the guys tonight,” said head coach Matt Viggiano. “They showed a lot of character. It's tough to win in conference but they stuck together and we got the first one. It was a total team effort tonight.”
Ceja scored for the Red Foxes in the 26th minute off a free kick-header combination. Junior Matty Berman (West Orange, N.J.) took the kick from inside the 40 yard line, placing the ball perfectly inside the box. Ceja jumped high and beat the defender to the ball, earning Marist a 1-0 advantage.
In an evenly matched first half, Saint Peter's narrowly outshot the Red Foxes 5-3. Goalkeeper Anthony Sokalski (London, Ontartio) recorded four saves for Marist in the first half.
The Peacocks tied the game up in the 63rd minute off a goal by Santiago Mateus. Nick Sifrin tapped the ball backwards and Mateus ripped a shot from just outside the box into the upper right corner to even the score at 1-1.
The Red Foxes responded quickly, at the 64:37 mark, to take a 2-1 lead. Cesar Ceja (Port Chester, N.Y.) took an indirect kick from the right side of the field which was intercepted by Ashong. Ashong took a touch then ripped a shot over the goalkeepers head to secure Marist's 2-1 victory.
The Peacocks attempted four shots in the second half but were unable to convert past Sokalski.
The Red Foxes hit the road to face MAAC newcomer, Quinnipiac, on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Marist returns home on Saturday, Oct. 19 to face Monmouth. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Tenney Stadium. Admission is free and open to the public.
Become a fan of Marist Athletics on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
-GoRedFoxes.com-
