The men’s soccer team passed their first big test of the year. Led by seniors Nate Micklos and Gary Stom, the Yellowjackets shut out their conference rivals, the New York University Violets, 3-0.
The Yellowjackets have an unbroken streak of 19 wins dating back to last season.
Both teams entered the game nationally ranked. Micklos scored two goals and Stom cashed in on the third goal to give UR the offense it needed to get the win.
UR took control of the game early on as Micklos and Stom scored five minutes apart midway through the first half.
Halfway through the first half, Micklos tried to cut around the Violets’ Nick Katsanos just outside the left edge of the penalty area. He was pulled down, earning the Yellowjacket a free kick.
Senior Colin Fernie took the free kick and found Micklos in the center of the box where Micklos found the net.
“It was a great ball from Fernie,” Micklos said. “We talked about getting good runs through the box.”
Five minutes later, Stom used his quick feet to get into the Violet defense and hammered home UR’s second goal.
Micklos sealed the deal with his second goal of the game to give the Yellowjackets an impressive win over a good Violets team.
After a few days of rest, UR took on the Rochester Institute of Technology on Tuesday. Both teams took to the field on a warm, picturesque fall night.
Before the game, Fernie commented on his team’s success. “The most important factor for us is to keep our focus and come out sharp,” she said. “This is a mid-week game between two conference games, and also going against a local team, we definitely need to play up to our potential.”
Fernie’s presence and leadership rubbed off on his teammates and most importantly, the younger players.
He is a player who understands the game, and works hard to help his team improve on their strengths and weaknesses. Fernie’s role will be critical for UR to keep that goose egg in the loss column.
“We need to come out sharp and focused,” Fernie said. That’s exactly what UR did. Right from the get-go, the Yellowjackets fired shot after shot at the RIT goal.
The offense stayed persistent, but the key was their intensity – Stom was the energizer bunny, flying around the field, weaving in and out of the defense and sacrificing his little frame to add pressure to the RIT defense.
His play ignited the 10 other Yellowjackets. Stom dribbled in close to the box and made a nice sweeping pass to his buddy Micklos resulting in the first goal of the game.
UR’s second and final goal came from senior Steve Maltzman. Maltzman’s goal – kicked from the right side of the net, hit directly off the left goal post, then bounced off of RIT’s goalie for the score, giving UR a 2-0 lead that they would not relinquish.
Defensively, sophomore Paco Corbalan made one save in goal. With the help of Paco’s defense and the senior duo of Micklos and Stom, UR improved to a perfect 9-0 this season with a final score of 2-0 against RIT at Fauver Stadium on Tuesday evening.
On a side note, Micklos was named Offensive Player of the Week for men’s soccer by the University Athletic Association. While on the other side of the ball, sophomore Eric Meister was Defensive Player of the Week.
UR will travel for the next three games against three conference foes – Brandeis University on Sunday, the University of Chicago Oct. 14 and closing out the road trip at Washington University in St. Louis Oct. 16.
The team will return home on Oct. 7, in time for Meliora Weekend and will engage in a highly anticipated game against SUNY Cortland.
Come out and support the men’s soccer team during Meliora Weekend and show the alumni how proud we are to have a team ranked fifth nationally in Division III soccer.
Rovinsky can be reached at mrovinsky@campustimes.org.
