By DEBS FRANCISCO
It’s official – the sword that signifies the victors of the annual alumni homecoming soccer game will hang in the student lounge rather than the fifteenth floor for the first time ever.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock
The Pride (students) swept the Purple Knights (alumni) 3- 0 to earn its first ever homecoming victory on Roosevelt Island on Saturday, October 10.
“I don’t spend a great deal of time in the Student Lounge but for the sake of the students who really earned it, I’m thrilled to bits that they will have that little reminder of first time the students overcame the alumni,” Head Coach Luke Smith said. “The students really earned it.”
The Pride struck first with the vital first goal of the game fifteen minutes into the first half when junior Steven Toal sunk a penalty kick deep in the Purple Knight’s net for the score.
“It was important to get the first goal,” Smith said. “When you have a losing record and you go down a goal the head drops and you lose the momentum.”
The alumni followed up Toal’s goal with a few chances of their own at the other end but the Pride scrambled to clear the ball out of the melee and keep the score at 1-0 going into the second half.
With about 20 minutes on the clock junior Matt Rosenbaum implemented great speed and skill on the right hand wing with a cross pass low in the middle that McCracken finished with one touch into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
“It really was an excellent move,” Smith said.
The Pride tacked on an assurance goal with five minutes on the clock when Toal crossed the ball to Westley Adjei in the center. Adjai sunk the pass for the final 3-0 score.
Sophomore Trevor Blake was voted “Man of the Game” for his solid defensive efforts. He headed up the Pride’s central defense and according to Smith, he had a flawless game and offered excellent coverage in the back and very little got through to the goal keeper because of his performance.
“We were a very solid unit that was difficult to break down,” Smith said. “We created a good number of chances, we took our chances and we had a solid core in defense.”
