TEANECK, N.J. - Hitting the pitch at University Stadium for the side's first of three-straight home fixtures, the FDU men's soccer team (4-5-2, 2-0-1 NEC) welcomed in Saint Francis U (Pa.) (3-5-2, 0-2-1) to the banks of the Hackensack for a Thursday evening showdown in the Northeast Conference, battling to a scoreless draw, splitting the points in the league table and giving the Red Flash their first points of the campaign.
 

How It Happened

First Half

• FDU had the most chances in the opening period, outshooting the visitors 5-2, though Saint Francis U would hold the edge on-target (2-1).
• After kicking-off the first half, SFU allowed a shot by the Knights' freshman forward Matt Giraldo who made an attempt that ultimately landed wide right of the goal.
• Following a quintet of throw-ins from both sides in the first four minutes, the home Knights got the first free kick opportunity of the match but were unable to kickstart the set piece.
• Senior goalkeeper Spencer King - who recorded his third-straight clean sheet - was first tested in the 18' with a low center save to stop the opening score by the Red Flash.
• Coming off the bench in the 21', Jerónimo Leguizamón, a sophomore forward, blasted two shots, one blocked and the other off-target.
• Thursday's game marked the second-consecutive NEC match in which the Knights did not score in the opening period.

Second Half

• Making a pair of substitutions coming out of halftime, Seth Roland's side got started right out of the gate with a pair of attempts 30 seconds apart off the boots of Jaime Barbero and Jordan Alonge.
• The Burgundy and Blue continued to be aggressive on the attack with junior Hugo Bacharach coming off the back four for a shot of his own, though it would go high and wide.
• With three corner kicks in the second, FDU was unable to get their set pieces going, resulting in a 0-0 draw, keeping in-tact FDU's unbeaten streak of three matches in NEC play.

 

Quotable

"On the positive side, getting our third clean sheet in a row is a very good thing," said Roland. "With regard to our play with the ball, we weren't at all sharp. Credit Saint Francis with staying compact and being difficult to break down. But we need to be cleaner with the ball and need to be smarter in the attacking third."
 

The Road Ahead

FDU plays their final two home matches of the regular season in the next two games with Stonehill coming to Teaneck for the first time in program history on Senior Day, Sunday, October 9 at 3 p.m. and Central Connecticut on Thursday, October 13 at 7 p.m. Both matches will air live on NEC Front Row and the NEC On the Run app.

Connect with FDU men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram, @FDUKnightsMSOC.