Box Score BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team made history Sunday afternoon with a shutout victory over St. Francis Brooklyn, 1-0. The Blackbirds completed just the third unbeaten and untied regular season in Northeast Conference history, won their ninth consecutive match and won the Carlo-Arnie Cup, which is given to the team that wins the Battle of Brooklyn each year.

Freshman Simen Hestnes scored the lone goal of the game for LIU midway through the second half, earning the Gary and Alan Rosenthal Award, which is given to the Most Valuable Player of the match.

The perfect league record is the second in the history of LIU Brooklyn, who went 6-0-0 in conference play in 1985. Robert Morris is the only other team to have gone through a regular season without a blemish in 1995. The Blackbirds have also earned the right to host the NEC Championship Tournament for the first time in program history.

Early in the first half, freshman Filip Nordstrom sent a cross to Hestnes inside the box for LIU's first scoring opportunity, but his shot barely missed, hitting the underside of the crossbar. In the 15th minute, St. Francis Brooklyn's Dominik Falanga received the ball off of a free kick for a header shot on goal that redshirt junior keeper Logan Keys knocked away, keeping the Terriers off the board. Both teams' defense would prove to be strong throughout the first half, with the game remaining scoreless going into the second half of the game.

In the 49th minute, Hestnes connected a pass inside to redshirt sophomore Naeem Charles, who's shot was blocked by the St. Francis defense. The Terriers' John Makaya took a shot from 15 yards in the 60th minute that was stopped by Keys for his second save of the game. A few minutes later, senior Tanner Sica got a cross to fellow classmate Nahuel Medina, who fired a shot on goal, but the keeper intercepted the ball.

In the 66th minute, Sica created another scoring opportunity, cutting in from the left side and back-heeling a pass to Hestnes. The Norwegian was one-on-one with Jack Binks, the St. Francis Brooklyn goalie who entered the match with one of the best goals-against averages in the country. Hestnes drew him out, slid around him and converted into the open net for his third of the season.

Makaya had a prime chance to tie the game for the Terriers in the 73rd minute, as his shot from 20 yards appeared headed for the top left corner of the goal. But Keys made an impressive save, knocking the ball out of bounds to maintain LIU's 1-0 lead. The Blackbirds held stought for the remainder of match to earn their ninth shutout of the year.

LIU is now 11-5-2 on the season, marking the first time since 2002 that LIU has had more than 10 wins in a single season. 

UP NEXT
The Blackbirds will host the NEC Tournament next weekend, which will take place Friday, Nov. 13 through Sunday, Nov. 15. At noon on Friday, Saint Francis U. (#2) will take on Robert Morris (#3) in the first semifinal. Top-seeded LIU Brooklyn squares off in a rematch against the fourth-seeded Terriers at 3:00 p.m. to determine who will advance to the final on Sunday at noon.