ROCHE’S 82ND-MINUTE TALLY LIFTS MEN’S SOCCER OVER DOWLING, 2-1

Box Score vs. Dowling - October 20, 2009

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Oct. 20, 2009) - On Tuesday evening, the Molloy College men's soccer team edged out East Coast Conference arch-rival Dowling College on its Senior Night at the Dean G. Skelos Sports Complex in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With eight minutes remaining in regulation and the two teams sitting in a 1-1 lock, freshman defenseman Hector Roche (Bellerose, N.Y.) placed a cross-pass from senior midfielder Jose Batista (Rego Park, N.Y.) into the back of the mesh.

Prior to the game, Batista, senior forward John-Paul Hughes (Manchester, England) and senior midfielder Graeme Roderick (Liverpool, England) were honored and supported for the time that they put into the men's soccer program.

The opening half saw a defensive style of play as no goals were scored. 13 minutes into the latter period, Dowling (9-5, 3-2 ECC) drew first blood when senior forward Lamine Traore (Mali, Africa) found the netting off a free kick from freshman back Stefan Draskovic (Belgrade, Serbia).

A mere three minutes later, Molloy (5-8-1, 2-4 ECC) evened up the score as Roderick recorded the equalizer. On the play, he punched the ball into the right corner. Batista was credited with the first of his two assists on the night, and it was the Liverpool native's fourth goal of the season. As aforementioned, Roche scored his first collegiate goal to put the Lions ahead for good.

In net for Molloy, freshman goalkeeper Michael Hunter (Merrick, N.Y.) recorded his first collegiate win as he turned aside four shots. As for Dowling, sophomore goalie Chris Kucera (Sayville, N.Y.) had five saves on the night. The Golden Lions held the advantage in shots (17-13), as well as corner kicks (4-3).

Head Coach Danny Longo and the Lions return to action this Thursday when they host the Chargers of the University of New Haven in their final regular-season home game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. If you are unable to attend the game, you can follow all of the progress via Live Stats by clicking here.