Marist men’s soccer put up a dominant second-half performance in a 5-2 MAAC win over Quinnipiac, scoring three goals.
Junior midfielder Kyle Evans scored twice, his first two of the season, and dished out an assist in the win. Evans led the conference in shots entering the game but was without a goal. Now, tied for second on the team.
The Red Foxes (5-0-2, 1-0-0 MAAC) opened the scoring 10 minutes in as sophomore defender Gijs Verhuel found Evans in the box all alone. Evans slotted it home and gave Marist the early advantage.
“He’s been sniffing it all year… If we can get him cooking we’re going to be tough to play against,” said head coach Matt Viggiano.
Quinnipiac (1-5-1, 0-1-0 MAAC) equalized a minute later as junior midfielder Francisco Ferreira rifled in a trivella from 20 yards out. Ferreira’s goal opened his account for the year.
Before the match, dozens of youth soccer players from the LaGrange Soccer Club joined Marist on the field for lineup announcements and the national anthem. After his second goal, Evans celebrated with some young fans, a few of whom he has coached.
“A lot of them look up to me, as I guess, an inspiration,” said Evans. “It’s really nice to see them.”
The game stayed level for a little over twenty minutes, but it was Evans who found the net again, chipping the goalie off a pass from freshman attacker Adriano Iannello. He currently leads the team in points after scoring his third goal of the season tonight. All of his goals have been game winners, with tonight’s coming from a long pass from junior midfielder Arion Ulaj.
The Bobcats scored a leveler before halftime after senior defender Ethan Ortiz took down sophomore forward Andrew Monteserin, giving Quinnipiac a penalty. Sophomore midfielder Sivert Ryssdalsnes stepped up and sent it in for his team-leading fourth goal of the year.
Marist went into the half tied, but had ultimately dominated the first half of play. The Red Foxes put up nine shots, three on target, to Quinnipiac’s pair, both of which went in. The yellow cards also came flying in the first 45 minutes, with three Bobcats getting dealt a warning. Ortiz was the only Marist player to receive a caution.
The Red Foxes finished the match with 20 shots, eight of which found the frame. Both of those numbers are tied for second on the year, with both coming in the draw against LIU.
Iannello’s goal came 17 minutes into the second half after Marist had been threatening for a handful of minutes. His goal was followed up closely after by sophomore attacker Chris Verhuel, after Evans entered space on the left side and dished it to his man in the middle. Verhuel made no mistake as he hit it first time and deposited it into the bottom right corner past graduate student goalie Matthew Pisani.
“It’s a really good feeling to score at home,” said Chris Verhuel. “I’ve been waiting for this moment,”
Pisani, making his second start of the season, made three saves in the loss. Marist keeper, graduate student Jamie Lowell, conceded a season-high tying two while making three saves of his own. Lowell, along with sophomore defender Evan Marques, remains the only Marist players to have played every minute of the season.
“You don’t know where it’s coming from, but you know it’s there,” said Viggiano about his side’s depth.
Marist continued to threaten as they looked to expand the lead, ultimately coming in the 85th minute with the other Verhuel brother. Sophomore defender Gijs Verhuel grabbed his first of the season with a beautiful backheel flick that snuck in off the post. Even he was surprised it went in as the attempt did not present much danger.
“We’ve been talking about it for a long time, we need to get on the scoresheet together,” said Gijs Verhuel.
The Red Foxes, who received votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches’ Poll, remain undefeated and finish the week with two wins. This win continues Marist’s streak of most games unbeaten to start the season, as Viggiano’s side has never finished non-conference play undefeated. They also move to 1-0-0 in the MAAC and earn a big win over a side that could potentially wind up in the playoffs.
“I’m superstitious but I’m enjoying the ride… but we’re playing for points now and taking it one game at a time,” said Viggiano.
This win marks the fourth consecutive win for Marist in this matchup, with two coming in 2024, both on the road.
Marist has a whole week off before returning to action, travelling to take on Mount St.Mary’s. The Mountaineers are winless in 2025, but take on Merrimack tomorrow, September 21st. Gametime for Marist is 4 pm on Saturday, September 27th.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Grace Bolander
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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