MARCY, N.Y. – Quite frankly, we don't deserve it. There's no reason to expect it at a small Division III college in Upstate New York, and plenty of us (yours truly included) probably didn't appreciate it when we first saw it.
Whether we understood or not, deserved it or not, one thing is clear: Diego Montaleza (New York, N.Y. / MLK) has been giving us a brand of soccer for the last four years that makes us realize why it's called "the beautiful game". The hardware is one thing: three straight 1st Team All-Conference selections, a Conference Player of the Year award, two Conference Championships, and two NCAA Tournament Appearances. But that doesn't tell nearly the whole story.
On Saturday during a 3-0 home win over the Hilbert Hawks, Montaleza became the all-time leading goal-scorer in SUNYIT history with his 25th career goal, passing Daniel Twumasi '11. But as always with Diego, it's not just what he does, it's the way he does it. Always with a sense for the moment, Montaleza surpassed Twumasi on Saturday with a hat trick.
In the first half.
Montaleza got on the board almost immediately after entering the game just past the 20-minute mark – scoring a goal that only Diego could make look pedestrian: a rocket right-footer to the top shelf from just outside the goalie box.
One says "only Diego," because his next goal came on a direct kick from at least 40 feet that hit nothing but air before finding the back of the net. The senior from New York City ripped a high-arcing bender perfectly over every defender, including the Hilbert keeper.
Soccer, more than most sports, contains plays that you simply have to see live. The 300 or so lucky souls at a packed Wildcat Field will agree, as Montaleza's final goal saw the senior dribble the ball (seriously) through his defenders legs before punching a perfect low-angle shot to the opposite corner of the net.
All told, Diego netted three goals in less than 9 minutes, scoring his first at 24:46 and his last at 33:45.
"It's been wonderful having him for the last four years," said SUNYIT Men's Soccer Coach Peterson Jerome, "we only wish we could have him for another four years" added Jerome with a laugh.
As for Montaleza, he was the consummate teammate:
"It was a really fun game," said Montaleza, "but I want to thank my teammates – if it wasn't for them, this wouldn't be happening. This is for them and I want to congratulate all of them, and the fans too, because everybody scored tonight, it wasn't just me."
In addition to Diego, a couple Wildcat newcomers added to the stat sheet. Assisting on the first goal was freshman Vincent Seruhungu (Syracuse, N.Y. / Fowler), who made an excellent move to beat his defender before passing off to Montaleza for the score.
Joining Seruhungu was fellow freshman Tyler Plows (West Winfield, N.Y. / Mt. Markham), who assisted on Montaleza's third and final goal just under 34 minutes into the game.
Of course, in a 3-0 shutout the defense was also excellent – as Aaron Minnamon (Palmyra, N.Y. / Palmyra-Macedon) and Brett Gruener (Ballston Spa, N.Y. / Ballston Spa) both made solid defensive plays in the first half to help preserve yet another shutout for goalkeeper Malick Faye (Bronx, N.Y. / MLK).
The Wildcats improve to 1-0-1 on the season, and will next be on the road for a match up with crosstown rival Utica. Game time is set for 7:00 pm