TEANECK, N.J. - FDU Men's Soccer (9-3-3, 3-1-2 NEC) bounced back in a big way, after falling in a road matchup at the hands of LIU in their last contest, the Knights buried three goals to get past the CCSU Blue Devils, the team that hangs onto the top spot in the NEC.
The Knights controlled the flow of the game in the first half of play, outshooting CCSU 8-0 in the opening 45 minutes of the match. After being the recipient of a free kick,
Julian Ramirez took a pass from
Joshua Bartels, and fired a kick 30 feet away from the cage, burying his first goal of the season, and giving the Knights the 1-0 advantage in the 28th minute.
FDU needed just 15 minutes to find the back of the net, as
Genti Dauti took a pass from
Yugo Yamamoto-Hodges and fired a shot from outside the box, tucking it into the netting in the corner of the cage, giving the Knights a 2-0 advantage in the first half.
The Knights and the Blue Devils would open the second half playing physical soccer, with tons of fouls being exchanged on both sides, and the second half saw the Knights control the ball and the pace of the match once again, as CCSU continued to press their back line to put pressure on the Knights.
CCSU had some pressure about halfway through the second half, and the ball found the right hand of
Julian Ramirez, which awarded the Blue Devils, and the most dangerous goal scorer in the NEC, Santiago Marin, a chance to cut the lead in half with a penalty kick.
Marin took plenty of time on his attempt, and even with Knights goalkeeper
Matheus Franca guessing the correct direction, Marin powered the ball past the keeper, getting CCSU on the board.
FDU would respond after some neutral play, as the Knights were able to take advantage of a costly turnover from the Blue Devils, which left
Ryan Calheira all by himself in a one-on-one matchup with the goalkeeper, where Calheira scored his fourth goal of the season, pushing the Knights lead back to two with little time remaining.
FDU picks up a huge win in front of a big home crowd, and moves to 9-3-3 overall, and 3-1-2 in the NEC, good for 11 points, which puts the burgundy and blue in third.
The Knights will take to the road for the final time in the 2026 regular season, as FDU will head to New Haven to take on the Chargers on Sunday night. Kick-off from New Haven is slated for 6 p.m, and the game can be streamed on NEC Front Row.
Connect with the Knights on social media by following @FDUKnightsMSOC on Instagram and X.
Presto's Pizza is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 FDU Men's Soccer Season.
