By Anthony Covino
Sports Editor
The Knights defeated Gonzaga 3-1 on Sunday, Sept. 8 in their home opener to improve their record to 3-1 on the season. Gonzaga fell to 0-4 on the season. The Knights extend their winning streak to two games.
This is not the first time Spokane, Wash.-Gonzaga has faced FDU, as the top seeded Bulldogs defeated FDU in the NCAA Basketball tournament in March.
The home opener for the Knights was a sizzling one, with clear skies most of the match. The sun was beaming down on the stands most of the game, but when the clouds came rolling in, the crowd let out a sigh of relief and joy as cool air came in.
The Knights gave up an early goal in the 9th minute to Gonzaga, scored by junior midfielder Theo O’Malley and assisted by senior forward Isaiah Jackson.
The Knights leveled the game in the 31st minute, when sophomore forward Joshua Ferreira scored on a bad clearance from the Gonzaga defense. Going into halftime the score was tied 1-1.
Sophomore midfielder Ideal Shefqeti gave the Knights the lead in the 51st minute with a long laser beam shot from outside the box.
The goal was assisted by junior defender Adrian Barajas and freshman defender Jared Subarsky.
Six minutes after the Knights’ second goal, they won a penalty, and junior forward Diego Arribas scored from the spot to give the Knights a 3-1 lead. The Knights defense held up the rest of the game after giving up an early goal.
FDU men’s soccer head coach Seth Roland said “The first ten minutes we were controlling the ball, but they got one counter and we lost our concentration and they scored, but we kept our poise, kept playing. At halftime we tried to pick up the tempo a little bit and Ideal [Shefqeti] scored a great goal and Diego [Arribas] with a great run to be taken down in the box and finishing the penalty more and Josh [Ferreira] coming
in as a sub for the first goal with his speed intercepted it and snuck it away.”
The Knights will resume play when they travel to play Cornell on Saturday Sept. 14, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
Junior goalkeeper Jahmali Waite recorded two saves in the win.
Photo by Anthony Covino
