MIDDLESEX COLLEGE MEN'S SOCCER STARTS 2025 SEASON WITH TWO BIG WINS

The Middlesex College Men's Soccer team has gotten off to a hot start in the 2025 season, winning their first two games of the season for the second year in a row.

In their opener, the Colts dusted Atlantic Cape CC by a score of 4-0. They followed that up with a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 win over Bergen CC in a pivotal early season Region 19 contest.

Against Atlantic Cape, Middlesex threatened for much of the first half, but had trouble breaking through against a game Buccaneers squad. The Colts had an early goal called back for offsides as the game looked like it would be going to the half scoreless. However, the Colts netted two goals in the final three minutes of the half to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

Samuel Rodriguez (Freshman/Roselle, NJ) scored the Colts first goal of the season, and his first collegiate goal, in the 42^nd minute to give Middlesex a 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later. Tiago Capela (Sophomore/South River, NJ) found the back of the net to make it 2-0.

Capela scored early in the second half as well, increasing the Colts lead to 3-0. Overlapping halftime, Middlesex scored three goals in just over five minutes of game play.

Jayvian Mandry (Freshman/Avenel, NJ) put the game away with the Colts final goal in the 58^th minute.

Middlesex used all three of their goalies in the win as Mateo Echavarria (Freshman/Hanover Park, NJ), Maksym Hrunskyi (East Brunswick, NJ) and Sebastian Grisales (Rahway, NJ) combined to make five saves to preserve the shutout in a dominant defensive effort.

Middlesex had one day to recover from their win over Atlantic Cape before returning to the pitch to face a perennially strong Bergen CC team.

The Colts were stunned early when the Bulldogs scored just eight seconds into the match off a long pass off the opening tip.

Middlesex answered with an equalizer in the 15^th minute when Isiah Scott (Piscataway, NJ) buried a direct kick from distance for his first goal of the season. Bergen would retake the lead in the 38^th minute however and the game went to halftime with the Bulldogs up 2-1.

From there, Middlesex Head Coach Javier Velasco adjusted his formation and it turned out to be a key maneuver as the Colts controlled play for much of the second half.

Middlesex was able to finally score the equalizer when Scott netted his second goal of the game in the 58^th minute. The Colts weren't going to settle for playing for a tie and kept the pressure on the Bulldogs from there.

In the 71^st minute, two Colts broke free for a long breakaway and Samuel Rodriguez beat the Bergen goalie to give Middlesex their first lead of the day.

Bergen was able to generate pressure over the final 20 minutes, but the Colts defense held tight and kept the Bulldogs off the board to preserve the 3-2 win.

Hrunskyi played the entire game in goal for Middlesex and fared extremely well, making a number of key saves along the way. The freshman netminder turned away 13 of the 15 shots he faced to pick up his first collegiate win.

Middlesex returns to action on September 2 when they take on RCSJ-Cumberland in a road matchup. Tipoff is set for 5:00PM.