(Valhalla, NY) - On a day when the Westchester Community College Men's Soccer team struggled to find the goal at times, even while holding a 38-6 advantage in shots, it was a freshman who had never scored a collegiate goal who rose to the occasion while so many others could not. And it just so happened to take place when the High School team he suited up for less than a year ago was on-hand to watch as a team. Freshman forward
Jonny Reyes (Peekskill, NY/Peekskill HS) found the back of the net for the first two times of his Viking career, and fellow freshman Jason Almedia Da Cruz (
Yonkers, NY/Escola Secundaria Olavo Moniz (Cape Verde)) registered five points as the Vikings routed visiting Orange Community College 7-0 at Barrett Field. With the win, Westchester is now 5-2 overall, 4-2 in NJCAA Region XV Play, and 2-0 in the Mid-Hudson Conference standings.
A stiff wind seemed to be the only obstacle standing between Westchester and a comfortable victory, as the first signs of fall appeared in Valhalla with cooler temperatures and a breeze that pushed dozens of Viking scoring opportunities wide. Westchester scored seven goals on 38 shots, but there were at least a dozen opportunities that just missed, thanks in large part to the windy day.
Although, Almedia Da Cruz did not seem bothered by the conditions at all. Exactly one minute into the game Da Cruz received a fantastic crossing pass from Luis Madriz (Tuckahoe, NY/Tuckahoe HS) that Da Cruz one-timed to the near right post for a 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, Da Cruz found freshman Tuane Tapper (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon HS) with a similar pass to the left side of the goal, and Tapper tapped in his seventh goal of the season for a 2-0 lead. Tapper played an incredible all-around game, taking seven shots, all of which were the result of golden scoring opportunities.
Da Cruz struck again at 21:10, a breakaway goal that came thanks to a fantastic through ball by sophomore Jordan Bennett (Peekskill, NY/Peekskill HS) for a 3-0 lead. Just before halftime, Tapper was tripped inside of the box while in a position to score a goal, leading to a penalty kick opportunity. Sophomore Leonardo Vargas (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle HS) converted the opportunity for his first goal of the season, and a 4-0 halftime lead.
Sophomore Renzo Tolentino (New Rochelle, NY/San Antonio HS (Peru)) entered the game just before halftime, and immediately made his presence felt as twice during an 11-minute span, Tolentino made huge plays to gain the primary assist on goals. At 64:10, he found Reyes in front of the net for Reyes's first career goal to make it 5-0. At 75:13, Tolentino's crossing pass was one-timed into the net by freshman Juan Torres (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle HS) for his first career goal and a 6-0 lead. At 84:44, Reyes closed the scoring by intercepting an errant Orange pass in the middle of the box, and streaking down the center for his second goal, and the 7-0 final.
Sophomore goalkeepers Saul Ypanaque (Ossining, NY/Ossining HS) and Allen Hoti (Yorktown, NY/Yorktown HS) combined for Westchester's third shutout of the season, and third shutout over the last four games.
Aside from the 38-6 advantage in shots, Westchester had 13 corner kicks compared to a single opportunity for Orange CC (5-2, 4-2, 0-1).
Westchester CC now has a week to prepare for their toughest stretch of the 2019 season, a three-game home-stand next week that will go a long way to determine seeding for October's NJCAA Region XV Championship Tournament. The stretch begins on Tuesday, Oct. 1 when the Vikings host Bronx Community College for a 4:00 p.m. start.
