TEANECK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson men's soccer team had no problem taming its Garden State rival Princeton on Friday night. The Knights used a pair of first half goals and tallied a third late in the second half to defeat the Tigers, 3-0, in front of another packed crowd at University Stadium. With the victory, FDU improves to 3-0 on the season, while Princeton starts it season out 0-1.

The Knights dominated most of the first half with a fluid offensive attack coupled with great play from their defense. Over the first 25 minutes of action, FDU was able to get off four shots, including a pair of by junior Martin Lukaschik that just missed going in.

In the 26th minute, the Knights broke through when their offensive pressure broke the Tigers' defense. After a corner kick by junior Anders Vest-Hansen was sent into the middle of the box, sophomore Tchamy Dantse Dantse gained control of the ball and delivered a pass to junior Nico Wright. The 6-2 forward was then able to corral the ball off his chest before gaining possession and delivering a shot to the lower-left corner of the back of the net to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

Fourteen minutes later, Vest-Hansen delivered a perfect corner kick into the middle of the box, and the 6-4 Dantse Dantse used his large frame in traffic to drill a header into the right side of the goal for a 2-0 advantage.

At halftime, FDU led by the same score and outshot Princeton, 7-0, while holding a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.

Over the opening minutes of the second half, the Tigers came out inspired, but the Knights' defense was up to the challenge and quickly halted the attack.

The final dagger was delivered by FDU in the 86th minute when Vest-Hansen found Lukaschik, who scored from the right side of the box, finding the lower-left corner of the goal.

"I thought we put in a very professional, focused and determined effort against a good Princeton team, and I thought we played very well defensively," Head Coach Seth Roland said. "We were good in possession, especially in the first half, and in the second half when they elevated their game and picked up the pace, we stayed with it and were looking to get them on the counter. Overall, it was a great performance by our guys."

Senior goalkeeper Jacob Lissek faced only three shots on the night and did not have to make a save, thanks to the play of the back four: Dantse Dantse, sophomore Sam Durkot, and seniors Nicholas Walker and Jeffrey Barrenechea. The rest of the team pressured Princeton the entire game all over the field.

The 3-0 start is the first for the Knights since the 2005 season. They will be going for their first 4-0 start since 2005 when they host in-state rival NJIT at University Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 11 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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