What had the potential to be Marist’s men’s soccer’s first home victory of the season turned into another frustrating result Saturday afternoon at Tenney Stadium.
The Red Foxes (4-3-5, 2-2-2 Metro) settled for a 1-1 draw against Merrimack (3-2-8, 1-0-5 Metro), extending their home winless streak to seven matches. Graduate student forward Mani Diop put Marist ahead with his fifth goal of the season, but an own goal in the second half by junior midfielder Gijs Verheul allowed the Warriors to pull level.
“It’s kind of a joke at this point,” Viggiano said of his team’s lack of winning at home. “It’s one of those things, a statistical anomaly; should be better at home.”
For a team sitting in the middle of the pack in the Metro Conference, continuing to pick up just one point is not enough.
“Draws are a false sense of security,” Viggiano said. “At the end of the day, it becomes losses after a while.”
Before kickoff, Marist honored its four seniors as part of its annual Senior and Alumni Appreciation Day celebrations. The honorees included graduate student midfielder Gijs Velings, graduate forward Mani Diop, junior forward Chris Verheul — who is in his last year of eligibility — and senior defender Ethan Ortiz, the team’s only traditional senior.
The pregame ceremony carried personal significance for the team and Viggiano, especially for captains Ortiz and Chris Verheul.
“Ethan and Chris, they’re kind of like my sons,” Viggiano said.
Viggiano also praised the four honorees for their character beyond the field.
“I can’t say enough about them as people,” he said.
Marist entered the contest with two changes to its routine starting lineup. Freshman midfielder Seth Hadeed replaced an injured sophomore midfielder Miles Douglas, while sophomore forward Ronan Hogg started in place of junior midfielder Caio Cavaletti.
Cavaletti participated in pregame warmups but ultimately did not feature in the starting XI, tending to a hamstring injury.
The Red Foxes came out threatening early, earning a corner kick that saw junior defender Evan Marques deliver a ball to Hadeed at the back post. Hadeed connected with a header that went just wide of the goal
Merrimack responded in the 13th minute when freshman forward Akaki Gvineria tested junior goalkeeper Alex Murania with a shot directed straight at him.
Marist continued generating chances when a loose ball bounded around the Merrimack penalty area, eventually finding Hogg; he directed a header toward goal, but was cleared off the line to keep the contest scoreless.
The Red Foxes broke through in the 22nd minute when junior forward Chris Verheul played the ball into sophomore midfielder Adriano Iannelo, who stretched to deliver the assist to Diop. The graduate student finished with his left foot into the far bottom corner, giving Marist a 1-0 advantage.
“His attitude and work rate is infectious,” Viggiano said of Diop. “Some of our younger guys can learn from him.”
The goal marked Diop’s fifth of the season, while Iannello recorded his second assist.
Despite the breakthrough, the rest of the first half featured a quite even and contested matchup, with both sides creating opportunities. Marist made its first substitutions in the 33rd minute, with sophomore forward Noah Mellen coming on for Hogg and sophomore defender Dylan Gugin for sophomore defender William Salivonchik.
Merrimack nearly equalized with four minutes left in the half when graduate student midfielder Nicolo Vallocchia found space at the top of the box and fired a shot just wide of the post, beyond a diving Murania. With the missed chance, the Red Foxes carried their 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Merrimack came out searching for an equalizer in the second half, nearly finding one in the 49th minute. Junior defender Gabriele Catterina connected with a bouncing ball inside the box, firing a powerful strike that forced quick reflexes from Murania.
Marist then responded with an opportunity of its own when a nice combination between Diop and Chris Verheul set up Hadeed at the top of the box. The freshman unleashed a powerful shot that went wide of the net.
The Warriors continued testing Murania, with Gvineria forcing stops in the 55th and 66th minutes, including an attempt toward the bottom-left corner. Merrimack’s persistence finally paid off in the 67th minute when junior defender Riccardo Oddi delivered a ball into the box that ultimately resulted in an own goal by Gijs Verheul, leveling the contest 1-1.
Despite the goal, the momentum shifted in the Red Foxes’ favor; just three minutes later, Vallocchia received his second yellow card of the afternoon, leaving Merrimack with 10 men.
With the player advantage, Marist pushed to regain its lead. Iannello produced an opportunity with a shot toward the bottom-right corner, but sophomore keeper Matteo Malaguti made a save to keep it level en route to the third consecutive draw between the two programs.
The draw leaves Marist tied for fifth in the Metro; the top six teams will qualify for the playoffs, and with just four games remaining, the Red Foxes need to produce results to lock up a spot.
Marist returns to action next Saturday on the road against Rider. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Edited by Max Rosen
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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