EWING, N.J. – The College of New Jersey men's soccer team defeated Brooklyn College in the home opener on Wednesday by a final tally of 3-0. The Lions improved their record to 3-0 on the year, while the Bulldogs dropped to 0-1.

Neither side was able to break through in the first half, and the match remained scoreless through halftime.

The Lions broke through and found the back of the net 16 minutes into the second half. Ryan Santos ran down a long ball right by the right post. Santos put forth a tremendous effort to get to the ball, as it appeared to be heading out of bounds for a Brooklyn goal kick. He tapped it to Ryan Vazquez right in front, and Vazquez punched it in to make it 1-0. The goal was the second of the season for Vazquez.

The pace of the game was controlled by the Lions, as they limited the Bulldogs to just two shots. TCNJ ripped off 24 shots on the night, and controlled possession 56% of the match.

TCNJ struck again in the 84^th minute, as Luke Yates scored his first collegiate goal. From just beyond the left post, Riley Furlong tapped it to Yates who was in the middle. He flicked it in off of a defender to make it a 2-0 lead.

Paul Tepedino net his first collegiate goal just over a minute later. Kevin Esteves sent a beautiful bouncing pass to Tepedino who was on the right side. He punched it in from about 17 yards out to make it a 3-0 lead.

The TCNJ defensive front stifled the Brooklyn attack all night long, and did not allow any shots on goal.

The Lions will resume play on Saturday, Sept. 7 against Hampden-Sydney College. That will be the first of two matches for TCNJ in the Jimmy Mills Tournament hosted by Haverford College. The Lions will play Centre College on Sept. 8.