TEANECK, N.J. (Oct. 11, 2026) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's soccer team played more than 52 minutes a man down and battled Yeshiva to a 2-2 draw in Skyline Conference action Sunday evening at FDU's Teaneck campus. The Mariners moved to 5-2-7 overall (4-0-4 Skyline), while the Maccabees moved to 3-3-4 (0-3-3 Skyline).
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Merchant Marine wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as sophomore Aiden Kennedy (St. Johns, Fla.) found the back of the net just 26 seconds into the contest off a feed from senior Andrew Jung (Fairfax, Va.), giving the Mariners an early 1-0 lead. Jung nearly doubled the lead in the sixth minute, but Yeshiva goalkeeper Abraham Gabay turned his shot away. The visitors almost doubled their lead in the ninth minute when junior Colin Robertson (Milford, Mich.) struck the right post.
The Maccabees generated several opportunities, but senior Ethan Howell (Alexandria, Va.) made four saves over a span of less than eight minutes to preserve the advantage. The Blue and Gray extended their lead in the 19th minute when Robertson found the back of the net off Jung's second assist of the game, making it 2-0.
The Mariners kept threatening, with Jung and junior Cal Lutz (South Pasadena, Calif.) each forcing saves later in the half. The complexion of the game changed in the 38th minute when Howell was shown a red card, forcing USMMA to play the remainder of the contest with 10 men. Senior James Castoro (Garden City, N.Y.) entered in goal, and Yeshiva's Franco Busso scored moments later to cut the Mariners' lead to 2-1 heading into halftime.
Playing a man down throughout the second half and through heavy rain, Merchant Marine continued to defend its advantage. Castoro made back-to-back saves on Busso and Ivan Zirlinger in the 63rd and 65th minutes, while the Mariners also turned away additional Yeshiva opportunities as the half progressed. USMMA nearly restored its two-goal advantage in the 69th minute, but Gabay turned aside sophomore Ethan Schuette's (Gig Harbor, Wash.) attempt to keep the score at 2-1.
The Maccabees continued to apply pressure in the closing minutes as Miles Form fired at the bottom-left corner in the 84th minute, but the Mariners made a team save to maintain their lead. Merchant Marine nearly added an insurance goal in the 89th minute when sophomore Charlie Safe (Boise, Idaho) sent a shot toward the top of the net, but Gabay was there again to keep it a one-goal game. Yeshiva finally found the equalizer with just five seconds remaining, as Busso scored his second goal of the night to end the match in a 2-2 tie.
The Maccabees finished with a 16-10 advantage in shots and an 11-8 edge in shots on goal, while Merchant Marine held a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks. Robertson led the Mariners with three shots and one goal, while Jung finished with two assists.
Howell made four saves before exiting, while Castoro added two stops in relief. The Mariners also recorded three team saves to finish with nine total stops. Gabay made six saves for the Maccabees.
The Mariners return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 13, when they travel to Danbury, Conn., to take on WestConn. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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