Queens, N.Y. - Saturday was a bizarre match between the Queens College men’s soccer team and Molloy College’s team, as the two sides played to a 1-1, double overtime draw, from the Knights’ soccer field in Flushing.  Since dropping the season-opened to Bentley, the Knights have a pair of ties and five wins and haven’t been defeated in their last seven contests.  The game, which featured scoring chances on both sides, fittingly ended in a draw as both sides were victimized by luck and circumstance.

Early in the contest, it seemed as if the Knights would cruise to a win as they punched a few shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes.  However, the first score came from the Lions as Mathias Cone lifted a ball into the box that Mario Gagliano blasted past Sean Geoghegan for the game’s first goal.  With a  1-0 lead, Molloy sat back and played defense for the remainder of the half and took the slight advantage into halftime.

The second half opened with Queens pressing the attack.  Glen Reid, who had a game-high nine shots, took one in the opening minute of the half.  Less than a minute later, QC earned a penalty kick as Mathias Coni was given a red card in the box.  On the ensuing penalty, Reid blasted a shot that Lions’ goalie, Justin Corke, parried, but the carom came back to Reid, and he calmly buried the ball into the back of the net to even the score at 1-all.

Reid nearly put the Knights ahead in the 74^th minute as his blast from the outskirts of the box clipped the upper-right corner of the crossbar and went to safety.  12 minutes later, it was Molloy’s turn to counterattack, as a shot from Joey Pinto forced Geoghegan to make a save to keep the game knotted at 1-1.  Regulation time would end with the score tied and the game went into overtime.

In the first overtime, Reid nearly capitalized on his second goal of the match.  With Lions’ keeper, Corke, on his back, Reid flicked a ball on net.  Corke was able to get a mitt up and bat the ball away to safety to keep the score deadlocked at 1-1.  Neither side scored in the first extra session, so a second one was needed.

In the second overtime, it was Molloy who nearly won the game as Gagliardo, who scored their first goal, took a couple of dribbles over the midfield line and chipped a shot that sailed out Geoghegan’s outstretched arms, bounced in front of the goal line, and sailed over the crossbar.  The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Knights are now 5-1-2 on the season and 2-0-1 in the East Coast Conference.  In the game, Queens outshot Molloy, 28-8 and tried eight corner kicks to their four.  QC returns to action on Monday, September 30, when they travel to New Jersey to face Caldwell College.  The kickoff with the Cougars is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

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