NEWBURGH, NY – In a matchup of the early season leaders in the Skyline Conference, Farmingdale State College defeated Mount Saint Mary College, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon. The Rams improve to 3-5 overall and to 2-0 in the conference while the Blue Knights fall to 3-6 overall and to 2-1 against the Skyline.
Farmingdale didn't waste any time in getting on the scoreboard as junior Marco Cipra (Long Beach, N.Y.) found the back of the net just 41 seconds into the contest. The defense for Mount Saint Mary misplayed a ball to the middle of the field, and Cipra made them pay, winning the ball and then releasing a perfect shot that found the top left corner of the cage.
The Rams increased their lead in the 26th minute as sophomore Ryan Paul (Sayville, N.Y.) put home his team-leading 9th goal of the season. Paul received a pass from the midfield on the run and beat the goalkeeper from inside the box to give his team a 2-0 lead. Freshman Nick Pancotto (Islip, N.Y.) was credited with an assist on the play.
Just before the half, Mount Saint Mary cut the lead in half with a beautifully constructed goal. After working the ball deep into the offensive third, senior
Jon Gasiewski (New Milford, Conn.) lifted a cross to the far post where freshman Mike Del Rosso (Washingtonville, N.Y.) volleyed a shot to the near post and past a diving keeper.
After several scoring opportunities for the Blue Knights in the second half, the Rams put the game away in the 79th minute as Ryan Paul put home his second goal of the contest. Pancotto slipped a pass across the box from the right side and Paul one-timed it into the net.
Farmingdale outshot the Blue Knights 23-9 in the game and by a margin of 13-4 in the second half. Mount Saint Mary was whistled for 17 fouls in the second half alone and finished with 21 fouls as compared to just 10 for the Rams.
The Blue Knights take a break from Skyline Conference action this week and will take on Rutgers-Newark in non-conference action on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Kaplan Field.
