BATISTA’S FOUR-POINT NIGHT GIVES MEN’S SOCCER 4-1 WIN OVER MERCY IN ECC OPENER

Box Score vs. Mercy - October 1, 2008

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Oct. 1, 2008) - Sophomore midfielder Jose Batista (Forest Hills, N.Y.) tallied four points on Wednesday evening off a goal and two assists as the Molloy College men's soccer team ran its winning streak to four straight with a 4-1 victory against Mercy College at the Dean G. Skelos Sports Complex in Rockville Centre, N.Y. The Lions have also gone unbeaten in their last six games after winning tonight's East Coast Conference opener.

Following a scoreless first half and an additional 30-minute rain delay for lightning and thunder, Molloy (5-3-1, 1-0 ECC) opened up the scoring in the 52nd-minute when senior defender Josu Cabruja (Isla De Margarita, Venezuela) slid and pushed across a shot with his right foot into the lower right corner of the goal. The assist came from Batista on a free kick, which found its way through the middle of the defense.

Five minutes later, Mercy (1-7, 0-1 ECC) freshman forward Ben Latchford (Solihull, England) knotted the match up at 1-1 as he headed a ball into the lower left corner of the net off a corner kick from sophomore forward Mike Fernandes (Mount Vernon, N.Y.). Soon after, Batista picked up his second assist of the night when he hooked up with junior forward John-Paul Hughes (Manchester, England) to give the Lions a 2-1 lead.

On the play, Batista sent a short through ball from the top of the box to Hughes, who then placed a shot into the lower left part of the goal. Later on, in the 77th-minute, Batista would secure the win for Molloy as he recorded his fourth tally of the season off a feed from Hughes. Batista kicked a shot from five yards out into the mid-left of the net to put the contest away for good.

Although that goal shut the door on the Mavericks, the Lions were not done yet as senior midfielder William Bell (Valley Stream, N.Y.) scored on a penalty kick attempt with 6:34 remaining in the period. Molloy owned a 23-12 advantage in shots, while Mercy held a 7-5 edge in corner kicks.

Mavericks' freshman goalkeeper Martin Walsh (Dublin, Ireland) stopped a game-high seven shots. Senior goaltender Ettore Morelli (North Bellmore, N.Y.) made two saves for the Lions.

Head Coach Danny Longo and his squad return to the field this Saturday when Molloy continues its four-game homestand against league foe Long Island University - C.W. Post Campus. Kickoff is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.