Behind a stunning goal in the waning seconds from sophomore Micah Rossen, the fifth-ranked Case Western Reserve University men's soccer team earned a 2-2 tie with New York University on Sunday morning at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.

The Spartans moved to 11-0-3 overall and 3-0-2 in University Athletic Association contests. The Violets moved to 8-4-2 this season and 0-4-1 in the UAA. With Emory's tie against WashU later in the day, CWRU maintained its one-point lead over the Eagles for first place in the conference with two games remaining.

Game-Tying Goal

• With 18 seconds left in the game and NYU holding a 2-1 lead, junior Owen Guffey sent a free kick from 40 yards away toward the box
• Senior Cormac Apostolides headed the ball from the far post at the top of the six-yard box toward the net
• The ball slipped past an NYU defender and found the foot of Rossen, who pushed it into the back of the net with 14 seconds left on the clock
• The score kept the team's undefeated season alive and extended the team's unbeaten streak to 14 games

Stats and Standouts

• In addition to the assist on Rossen's goal, Apostolides scored in the 59th minute for CWRU
• Guffey was credited with his team-leading sixth assist of the campaign
• Sophomore Alex Eby played all 90 minutes on the backline for the Spartans
• Senior Adam Pluszczyk, who made his first start of the season, tied with Apostolides and senior Ohta Kamiya for a team-high two shots

First Half

• Sophomore Carter Shedd saved a shot in the first minute of the game, his first of five saves in the contest
• After a shot by Kamiya was saved in the 23rd minute, New York's Mark Shields scored on a counterattack to give the visitors a 1-0 edge
• Despite two more shots on goal, the Violets were unable to add to their lead in the first period
• Case Western Reserve's second shot on goal came in the 35th minute off the foot of sophomore Aydin Sumer

Second Half

• The Violets controlled possession to start the second half, earning a pair of corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of the period
• Keyon Namdar scored following the second set piece to make the score 2-0
• It marked the first time CWRU had allowed two goals in a game this year
• Just five minutes later, the hosts earned a penalty kick opportunity
• Though the NYU goalkeeper guessed correctly on Apostolides's attempt from the spot, the senior collected the rebound in front of the net and halved the team's deficit
• It was his sixth goal of the year
• The Violets nearly doubled their lead again with a shot hitting the woodwork in the 60th minute
• After conceding a pair of corner kicks, the Spartans mostly controlled the ball for the final half hour of play
• CWRU had corner kicks in the 84th, 86th, and 88th minutes, but were unable to get a shot off

Spartan Notes

• CWRU is one of five teams in Division III without a loss in 2026
• The Spartans improved to 13-16-3 against NYU in the all-time series and have not lost since 2021
• Apostolides scored in each of the last three games. He notched a goal and an assist for the second time this season and first since the team's season-opening win on September 1
• Rossen, who leads the squad with seven goals, scored for the first time in conference play
• In addition to ranking fifth in the national coaches poll, Case Western Reserve was fifth n the latest NCAA Power Index, which is used to determine at-large selections and help with hosting decisions for the NCAA Tournament
• The Spartans conceded a goal in the second half of a game for the first time this year, shutting out opponents after halftime in their 13 previous games

Up Next

The Spartans will face 17th-ranked Emory in a battle for first place in the UAA next Saturday in Atlanta. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. With a win, the Spartans would clinch at least a share of the UAA Championship for the third time in program history, while a win coupled with a loss or tie by third-place Rochester to Carnegie Mellon would secure the outright title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for CWRU.