By Dillon Flanigan
By Sports Editor
Being held back by a teammate, Queens College midfielder John Morell, a graduate, argues with the referee before being given a red card.
It was a gritty and suspense-filled men’s soccer game on Wednesday, Sept. 18, as the university defeated non-conference opponent Queens College 3-1 at Jess Dow Field.
The game was delayed for about 20 minutes, as the opponent’s scheduled arrival was delayed, pushing back warmups and the game by roughly 30 minutes.
“To be in a game that has so much emotion, and for the game to be affected so much by all the things that we couldn’t control,” Head Coach Kevin Anderson said “I thought it’s a test of resilience. It’s a test of a team to see who can put the pieces of this thing together when it’s a difficult situation.”
Once the game started, those in attendance were in for more than just a soccer game. There were several fouls and offsides called on both teams, as Queens College took an early 1-0 lead during minute 16.
Over the next 18 minutes, the Owls tightened their defense, allowing only one shot on goal that was saved by goalkeeper Devin Juan, a senior, as the offense attempted four shots, which all missed. That was until Zico Groenveld, a junior, evened the score at 1-1, his first goal of the season.
“We knew that there was a lot of space on the right,” Groenveld said. “And going into the game, I felt fit, and I wanted to make those runs, and my teammates found me in very good spots, so I’m grateful for them giving me the ball.”
Shortly after the goal, the physical opening came to a head in minute 38, as defender Edward Mensah, a graduate, was given a yellow card. After a conversation with the referee, Queens College midfielder John Morrell was given a red card and ejected from the contest.
The action on the field was delayed as Morrell aggressively confronted the referee while held back by his teammates. He eventually retreated to the bench, engaging the coaching staff in a heated verbal argument.
As Morrell was exiting the field, a group of fans cheering on each team got into a separate verbal dispute that was mediated by Jay Turiano, the university’s assistant coordinator of athletic facilities & academic support specialist.
A minute later, after back-to-back shots saved by Juan, Owls midfielder Solomon Aidoo, a sophomore, was handed a red card and escorted off the field by Joe Hines, the university’s associate director of athletics and coordinator of athletic facilities.
Unfortunately, Aidoo was not available for comment post-game.
“I think it’s always easy to judge something,” Anderson said. “I haven’t seen the video yet, so I’m not sure where either of those lie, but we have to respect the call, and we got to continue with the game.”
At the half, now playing 10 v 10 with the ejections, the Owls needed to adjust their game plan.
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VOL. 64- ISSUE 3
