Marist men’s soccer began its season with a 2-2 draw at home against Stony Brook on Thursday night after taking an early 2-0 lead. A pair of goals from both teams in the first half ended up summarizing the scoring for the entire match.
Graduate student defender Mani Diop and sophomore defender Miles Douglas scored for Marist in the 10th and 28th minutes, respectively, giving the Red Foxes the 2-0 lead. Stony Brook goals from sophomore defender Lars Fahre and Elliot Burgueno in the final seven minutes of the first half knotted the game, and no second-half goals broke the deadlock.
The two sides finished level on shots with 10 apiece, although the Seawolves put seven of theirs on target, compared to just four from Marist. The Red Foxes did take a whopping 11 corner kicks to Stony Brook’s four, but failed to convert on all but the one in the 28th minute.
Marist started the game, and its season, on the front foot as Diop found the net in the 10th minute. Sophomore attacker Ronan Hogg played him a brilliantly flicked-on through ball, which Diop took to the front of goal and beat sophomore goalkeeper Heidar Hermannsson to open the scoring.
18 minutes later, after receiving a yellow card a few minutes prior, Douglas extended the Red Foxes’ advantage off a corner from junior defender Evan Marques. That corner was one of six that Marist took in the first half as Marques and junior midfielder Caio Caveletti, the team’s two takers, got their work in.
Marist’s offensive barrage continued as head coach Matt Viggiano’s side took six shots in the first half, three of which were on target. Stony Brook took five with four being put on frame.
Substitutions followed for both sides in the next 10 minutes as each team made multiple. Freshman midfielder Seth Hadeed and redshirt freshman defender Dylan Gugin came on for Marist, replacing Hogg and junior forward Gijs Verheul.
Junior attacker Chris Verheul earned the third yellow card of the match, all of which were dealt to Marist in the first half. His came in the 39th minute, just two minutes after Marques got one of his own. Verheul’s offense gave the Seawolves a promising free kick on the right side, which they capitalized on. Redshirt sophomore Nelson Reynoso’s cross met Fahre’s head and beat junior goalkeeper Alex Murania to make it 2-1.
The tying goal came just a few minutes later as the Red Foxes failed to clear another set piece. A Stony Brook corner came in from the right side and pinballed around the box before Burgueno put his foot through the ball and the ball through the defense. Mere seconds remained on the clock in the first half, but the match was level at 2-2.
Heavy rain poured onto the Tenney Stadium field all afternoon and into the match, but that didn’t take away any aggression from either side. Both teams racked up seven fouls apiece in the first half, with Marist seemingly committing the costlier ones.
Stony Brook began the second half firmly on the front foot, forcing Murania into a pair of saves in the first 10 minutes. The Seawolves stretched the Marist midfield well and denied service up to Gijs Verheul, with the hosts barely able to gain possession.
Verheul did face a big chance in the early stages of the second half, but was denied by Hermannsson. Murania’s big saves came shortly after; he finished the match with five, a career-high in his first-ever start.
Subs for both teams entered and left throughout the half as the fouls piled up. Marist finished with 15 on the night, just one more than Stony Brook’s tally. Multiple protests were made by both teams over shirt-grabbing and other petty arguments, which were exacerbated by heavy jerseys from rainwater and sweat. The clouds bled onto the pitch periodically throughout the second 45 as the ball and players dealt with slippery conditions.
Two notable subs for Marist included Cavaletti and Chris Verheul, as Cavaletti came off with what appeared to be a left leg cramp — he went down and had his leg stretched out — while Verheul did not return after being subbed out with under 15 minutes to go. Any potential injuries would add to an already growing list of missing players for Marist, as freshman attacker Sammy Ramirez is currently ineligible and sophomore attackers Noah Mellen (ankle) and Adriano Iannello missed this match with injury.
The match picked up intensity as time went on, with each side hoping for a winning goal. Still, though, the fouls outnumbered the shots 3-1 in the final 10 minutes as the game got sloppier. A foul on junior midfielder Nathan Karanganwa, who had a solid debut for Marist, was the last real action of the game as the referee’s whistle came and ended things at 2-2.
Marist continues its season on Sunday at home against Air Force. This will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams, with Marist holding the all-time series lead 1-0. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Xavier Angel
Photo from Marist Athletics
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