ROCHESTER, NY – The College of Staten Island men's soccer team traveled to Rochester, NY, on Saturday afternoon to take on Roberts Wesleyan University. After falling into a two-goal deficit in the second half, the Dolphins battled back with a late goal but were unable to complete the comeback, falling 2-1 to the RedHawks. With the loss, CSI drops to 3-4-3 overall and 1-1-1 in East Coast Conference (ECC) play.
The Dolphins controlled the offensive pressure in the opening half, outshooting Roberts Wesleyan 8-2. Yair Roman led the way with three shots, while Peterson Larose added two. Claidi Nurcja, Deniz Karcher, and Matthew Brito each recorded one shot. Despite holding the advantage in shots, the Dolphins and RedHawks went into halftime scoreless.
Roberts Wesleyan came out with more offensive pressure in the second half and earned three corner kicks. On their first corner of the afternoon, Carlos Romero Astacio made a key save in front of goal, but the rebound fell to a RedHawks player, who found the back of the net to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Another RedHawks corner later resulted in their second goal of the afternoon, putting the Dolphins in a 2-0 hole.
Shortly after the second goal, the Dolphins maintained possession in the RedHawks' end and began to generate pressure. Roman played Koray Arslan toward goal, where Arslan finished the opportunity to cut the deficit to 2-1.
With the equalizer within reach, the Dolphins were unable to find the back of the net again as Roberts Wesleyan held on for the 2-1 victory.
Arslan led the Dolphins with the lone goal, while Roman recorded the assist and finished with a team-high four shots, including two on target. Romero Astacio made four saves in goal.
The College of Staten Island men's soccer team will return to action next Saturday, October 3, for Alumni Day when the Dolphins host Daemen University at 2:30 PM.
GAME REPLAY
