Box Score
Photo Gallery
Postgame Interviews (Cooke & Magee)
 
KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Sept. 11, 2021) – The USMMA men's soccer team finally got back in the win column with a 3-0 shutout victory over visiting Hunter College on Wednesday night at Bartoszek Field. Ending their four-game losing streak, the Mariners improve their record to 2-4 with the win, while the Hawks fall to 0-3 in defeat.
 
Freshman Wesley Cooke (Mobile, Ala.) opened the scoring for Merchant Marine in the 36th minute when he took a feed in from the right side and fired a shot that was saved by Hunter's junior keeper Antony Simos, but the rebound went right back to Cooke, who blasted a shot high into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box.
 
Just over a minute later, Cooke then set up the Mariners' second goal after he fed the ball in low from the left side and fellow Plebe Mark Sommer (St. Louis, Mo.) got his foot on it low to flick it towards the goal. Initially, Simos deflected it, but it popped in the air and the rotation of the ball as it hit the floor on a bounce caused it to roll into the net, giving USMMA a 2-0 lead and Cooke his third point of the night.
 
After the halftime break, senior Cole Blake (Parker, Colo.) cleaned up a mess in front in the 52nd minute that was initially caused by freshman Derek Vanasse (Camarillo, Calif.), whose first shot was blocked by a defender. The ball bounced up in the air and Simos punched it away then chased after it, but senior David Kelly (Lutherville, Md.) beat him to it and pushed the ball to a wide open Blake just inside the 18-yard box and he fired a shot into the wide open net.
 
But the offense wasn't all that was clicking for the Mariners, as the entire defensive unit helped both keepers, junior Chase Miller (Boise, Idaho) and sophomore Ashton Carey (Pasadena, Md.), preserve the shutout (their first of the season), especially the play of senior Hudson Magee (Chapel Hill, N.C.) who was all over the pitch making great slide tackles to help break up Hunter's chances. Both Miller and Carey ended the night with two saves apiece, while Simos had three stops in the losing effort.
 
Up next, the Mariners will open Skyline Conference play at home this Saturday, Sept. 18, against St. Joseph's-Long Island. Kickoff against the Golden Eagles is scheduled for 12-noon at "The Ray." Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Men's Soccer Schedule Page.
 
Receive USMMA Men's Soccer News Right To Your E-Mail!
If you would like to receive all the latest news on the USMMA men's soccer teams (or any other team at the Academy), including all press releases, delivered directly to your inbox, fill out this form.
 
Follow USMMA Athletics On Social Media!
Be sure to follow USMMA Athletics on social media to get up-to-the-minute updates on your favorite teams! Start following today on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!