The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's soccer team suffered its first setback of the season, falling to NYIT, 2-0, in an East Coast Conference match at Spartan Field. STAC fell to 1-1-2 overall and 0-1-0 in ECC play, with Tech improving to 4-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 in conference.

Stingy defense was the theme of the afternoon, with each team keeping the other away from the net for most of the game. STAC blinked first, as NYIT converted a giveaway, with Alex Barbosa beating a helpless Nicholas Palumbo in the Spartan net, putting the visitors ahead at 26:08.

Tech outshot the hosts by a 6-3 count in the first half, and offense was even harder to come by after the break, with each team posting four shots in the second stanza, but it was Barbosa who would again make the difference. With time winding down, Amadeo Ramon Carbo made a nice feed to Barbosa, whose second goal of the afternoon at the 78:42 mark all but sealed the hard-fought contest.

Palumbo was credited with four saves in his first loss of the season, while NYIT goalkeeper Jonathan Rico was called on to make just two stops.

The Spartans return to the road for their next two games, traveling to LIU Post this Saturday, September 20 as the back end of a double-header with the women's teams, starting at approximately 2:30 pm. They will travel to meet the University of New Haven on Tuesday, September 23, at 4:00 pm, before returning to Spartan Field to host Dowling College on Saturday, September 27. That will also be an ECC double-header, with kickoff time slated for approximately 2:30 pm, after the conclusion of the women's game at noon.