TEANECK, N.J. – Behind a spirited performance from senior forward Enver Caymaz (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Pompton Lakes), the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's soccer team topped Iona College 2-1 at University Stadium on Saturday night.
The Knights (2-3) returned home for the first time since their 4-0 defeat of Howard and appeared to relish the home field advantage by jumping out to a 2-0 lead en route to the victory.
Caymaz paced the attack by netting the game's first goal and assisting on the second, which was buried by Javen Palmer (London, England/Sedgehill). Caymaz now leads the Knights with five points on the campaign.
Speaking after the victory, Knights head coach Seth Roland said, "I thought it was a total team effort and we defended in a unified manner. It was one of those classic, traditional, old school efforts."
With the loss, the Gaels drop to 1-4 on the campaign, which includes a pair of losses to nationally-ranked teams.
The Knights earned the first quality chance of the night when Caymaz sent a direct kick on frame, which forced Iona goalkeeper Kellar Sirstins to leave his feet for a diving save.
Caymaz's relentless energy and effort continued, and at the 11:29 mark, the senior broke through with the game's first tally. David Bokumabi (Oberthal, Germany/Saarbrucken) sent a well-placed through ball to the left side of the box and on to the foot of Caymaz, who promptly unleashed a rocket, which caromed off of the inside of the right post and across the line.
In the 22nd minute, the Gaels thought they had the equalizer, however, the referees ruled that the forward was offside and the game remained 1-0.
Two minutes later, the Knights nearly added to their lead when sophomore midfielder Patrick Nuss (Fort Worth, Texas/Fossil Ridge) lofted a cross into the box to Caymaz, who sent a shot past Sirstins that was destined for the back of the net. However, an Iona defender was alertly waiting on the goal line and stepped in front to prevent the score.
Although the Gaels outshot the Knights 14-12 in the contest, the home team proved to be more accurate with a 7-4 advantage in on-target attempts. Caymaz led the charge with a team-high four shots.
Junior netminder Julian Murillo Toro (Cali, Colombia/Francisco de Pio XII) stopped the Gaels' lone first half shot on goal by turning away the reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Year Marcos Nunez in the 38th minute.
Caymaz earned the first quality chance of the second stanza with a hooking shot from the left side of the box that narrowly missed the right side of the net.
At the 60:59 mark, Caymaz set up Javen Palmer (London, England/Sedgehill) for the Knights' second goal of the contest. Caymaz redirected a bouncing ball in the box to Palmer, who was eagerly waiting on the right post to knock home the goal and extend the lead to two.
Murillo's best save of the night came in the 70th minute when Iona's Daniel Ocana delivered a dangerous chance via a set piece, which forced the FDU goalkeeper to fully extend to his right in order to turn away the shot. Murillo finished with three saves in the victory.
Nunez, who was extremely active throughout the night, finally broke through the stingy Knights' defense at the 76:41 mark. The Gaels' junior forward was on the receiving end of a crisp, low-trajectory cross from Daniel and came barreling in to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Despite a few close calls in the waning minutes, the Knights defense stood tall and preserved the one-goal victory.
The Knights will set out to keep the momentum rolling when they host Lehigh in their next contest this Tuesday, September 13. Start time is set for 7 p.m. at University Stadium.
