The men’s soccer team charged past Marist College 5-0 Friday night at Stevenson Field. Scoring four goals in the first half, Bruno shut down the Red Foxes early in the game. A final goal late in the second half sealed the Bears’ shutout and marked the first time since 2009 that Bruno posted five goals in a game. The Bears improved to 2-4-1 with the win, while Marist fell to 1-7-0 overall.
Coming off a string of four losses, the Bears were focused on “putting together a complete performance,” said midfielder Tommy Arns ’15.
“I believe we maintained a constant tempo and intensity the whole game,” Arns said. “Overall, I was proud of the team and the way we approached the game, especially after struggling on the road.”
The Bears were up 1-0 early into the game after capitalizing on a pair of Marist fouls. Following a trip in the box, Pepe Salama ’14 took the penalty kick, burying it in the far right of the net as goalkeeper Anthony Sokalski dove to the left. After another foul three minutes later, midfielder Tariq Akeel ’16 knocked in his first goal of the season off a free kick from Jack Gorab ’16, putting the Bears up 2-0.
Bruno continued its aggressive front and solid defense, allowing Marist few shots on goal. Akeel soon tallied his second goal, following a series of shots and rebounds in the box: After a deflected shot off the crossbar, forward Voltaire Escalona ’14 redirected the ball back to the goal, only to be rejected by the crossbar as well. Akeel finally found the back of the net, giving the Bears a 3-0 advantage.
The Bears continued their offensive push and tacked on a fourth goal with two minutes remaining in the first half. Jason Pesek ’17 sent a cross to the far post, where fellow first-year Nate Pomeroy ’17 sent it past Sokalski for his first career goal.
With a 4-0 lead going into the second half, the Bears continued to press the Red Foxes, allowing Marist only two shots on goal. Bruno sealed the victory with a fifth and final goal by Arns, who was assisted by Daniel Taylor ’15.
Every player on the roster experienced game action, which “helped add some experience for our younger players,” Akeel said.
“As a team, it was our best attacking performance so far,” Akeel said. “Our defense was able to hold a shutout, and they showed they are getting better and better each game.”
The Bears return to Stevenson Field today for a game against Boston University, followed by their first game of Ivy League play Oct. 5 at Columbia.
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