TEANECK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's soccer team's 2016 campaign came to an end on Sunday afternoon as they dropped their regular season finale to Sacred Heart University 2-0 at University Stadium.
 
The Knights (3-11-3, 1-2-4 NEC) entered the contest in the fourth and final NEC playoff spot but were officially eliminated by the loss. With the win, the Pioneers (5-10-2, 3-4 NEC) clinched the No. 4 seed in next week's conference tournament.
 
Shaquille Saunchez supplied all of the offense in the match, registering both goals and extending his season total to eight. Saunchez was a one-man offense as the Pioneers strategically sent long passes up to the senior forward and let him do the rest.
 
The Knights were the aggressor coming out of the gates and earned four chances in the first ten minutes of the match.
 
Then, just over 20 minutes into the match, the Knights had their best scoring chance of the day. Jamie Leddy (Bateman’s Bay, Australia/Bateman’s Bay) settled the ball near the 18 and fired for goal. His shot was deflected away by Sacred Heart goalkeeper Robert Stratin but it found its way onto the foot of Daniel Lasarte (Madrid, Spain/Defiance (Ohio)), who had an open look at the goal, however, his attempt, which appeared ticketed for the back of the net, instead struck Leddy in the back and rolled away.
 
Saunchez broke loose for his first chance 18:31 into the contest but Fairleigh Dickinson goalkeeper Julian Murillo Toro (Cali, Colombia/Francisco de Pio XII) aggressively charged toward the top of the box and turned away the shot attempt.
 
At the 17-minute mark, a long throw-in by Jamie Leddy (Bateman’s Bay, Australia/Bateman’s Bay) was deflected onto the head of Enver Caymaz (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Pompton Lakes) but the Knights' senior striker's header sailed high off the crossbar.
 
Saunchez's first goal of the day came at the 35:13 mark after he received a pass near midfield. The Pioneers' senior striker eluded two Knights defenders before dribbling past Murillo Toro and finishing on the empty net.
 
The Sacred Heart senior struck again with 1:17 to go in the half when he received a long lead pass from teammate Dylan Santos and shot across his body sneaking the ball to the opposite corner of the net and just inside the left post.
 
The Knights stormed out of intermission and pressured the Pioneer backline for most of the stanza. Ten minutes into the half Daniel Lasarte (Madrid, Spain/Defiance (Ohio)) fired a hooking shot toward the left post, however, Sacred Heart goalkeeper Robert Stratin made a sprawaling save to knock away the attempt.
 
Less than two minutes later, Wojciech Piwowarczyk (Garfield, N.J./Garfield) went for goal but again Stratin was able to push aside the shot.
At the 55:53 mark, a shot by Lasarte caromed off of the left post. Lasarte's post was the Knight's third of the match as the team struggled with unfortunate bounces and near misses throughout the afternoon.
 
The Knights outshot the Pioneers 19-16 in the contest, including 11-8 in the second half, however, the Pioneers proved to be more accurate landing 10 shots on frame compared to the Knights' four.
 
Murillo Toro finished with eight saves in the loss and finishes his junior campaign with a 2-5-2 record.