Charleston, W. Va. – When the 2022 season began, no one would have predicted that the Queens College men's soccer team would host their first East Conference Conference postseason game, much less earn their first NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament appearance.
But on Thursday (Nov. 10) afternoon, head coach Frank Vertullo and his Knights had played their first NCAA Men's Soccer tournament game in program history
Having earned the #7 seed, the Knights would travel 561 miles to play a local school that was 12.5 miles away from Flushing in the #10 seed Panthers of Adelphi University in Charleston, West Virginia in one half of the Super Region 1 bracket.
The Knights playing in their first NCAA Tournament compared to the Panthers who were making their 10th appearance in the D2 era, the first 45 minutes would appear both teams were equally matched.
Both teams would trade possessions for a certain amount of time throughout the first half but neither side would be able to land a shot on goal.
In the first 20 minutes of play, it was the Knights who looked to threaten but despite staying in their offensive ends, Queens was unable to create an opportunity before the Panthers switched gears.
However, both sides would combine for seven shots in the first half as they went into halftime with the game deadlocked at zero.
Queens began the second half as the aggressors as junior Nicholas Tagios's (East Williston, N.Y.) shot was blocked before sophomore Adolfo Martinez Paquet's (Sevilla, Spain) shot would sail out top.
But a 10-minute period would prove to be the difference maker as the Panthers' counterattack helped them tally the lone goal of the game through a penalty kick. Senor goalie Dario Giovanni Cruz (Guadalajara, México) was unable to make the stop as the Panthers took the 1-0 lead in the 61st minute.
With 29 minutes left in the game and now having to play from behind, Queens would kick it into another gear but despite holding the majority of the possessions, the Panthers would deny all six shots on goal in the second half to end the Knights' historic season.
The 2022 season might have come to a close but head coach Frank Vertullo and his young squad showed that the best is yet to come of his Knights.
Records fell throughout the season but the 2022 season will go down one for the record as the Knights season closes with a program-best 13-7 overall record with their highest finish in East Coast Conference play and their first-ever NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament appearance.
Provided by the Queens Sports Information Department.
