ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University men's soccer team made the most of its first ever Atlantic East Conference game on Wednesday evening, picking up a comfortable 2-0 victory over visiting Marymount University.
 
Marlon Trejo and Gavin Ford each tallied their fifth goals of the season in the win, while Shane Smith (3 saves) picked up the shutout in goal.
 
Neumann asserted itself from the opening whistle, dominating the Saints in the opening half with eight shots compared to just two for the visitors. Trejo nearly got the Knights on the board just five minutes into play when his free kick rattled off the crossbar. Neumann thought it had a lead when it headed home the rebound off the crossbar, but the flag went up for offsides and the score remained 0-0.
 
The Knights continued to play well throughout the opening 45 minutes of play and were rewarded with the game's first goal in the 25th minute. Sophomore Nick Testa chested down a ball on the right side of the box for Trejo, who took a touch and curled home a beautiful shot into the upper left corner of the goal for Neumann's first ever goal in Atlantic East play. The game would head to halftime with a score of 1-0 in favor of the hosts.
 
Eager to widen its lead, Neumann came out even hungrier in the second stanza. The Knights outshot Marymount by a count of 12-3 in the final frame, playing in the Saints end for much of the period. Junior Brady Simon nearly doubled Neumann's lead in the 59th minute, but his left footed curler rung off the post to keep the score just 1-0 in favor of the Knights. The hosts would finally breakthrough with a second goal late in the contest, as Ford used some slick dribbling skills to work his way into the box before firing home the team's second tally of the night in the 82nd minute to seal the convincing 2-0 win.
 
Neumann (5-3–1, 1-0-0 Atlantic East) will head to new conference rival Wesley College on Saturday, October 6th for a matchup with the Wolverines. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM.