New York Shockers Fall to Valeo FC 4-3

By Breann McKeon/New York Shockers

Adetayo Adefioye was named to the May 2021 National Premier Soccer League Team of the Month on Friday, and he proved why early in the Shockers’ matchup with Valeo FC on Saturday night.

In the fourth minute, Adefioye received a nearly 50-yard long ball from the Shockers defense and fought off the Valeo FC center back to slide one into the back of the net.  This put the Shockers ahead 1-0.

“It feels good, I’ve worked really hard this month,” Adefioye said. “We’re a young team so to be on the first team of the month is incredible.” 

He was one of three forwards within the entire league to receive the honor. 

Despite gaining the early lead, the Shockers lost 4-3 after a high-scoring matchup with Valeo FC, who had a strong second-half surge. 

The early goal lit a fire under both teams, as there were constant scoring opportunities as the first half ensued. 

This was the second time the two teams faced off this regular season, and the Shockers took home the 1-0 victory after Adefioye scored in the 71st minute of the highly competitive match. 

In an attempt to settle the score, Valeo FC midfielder Alex Nagy blasted a shot at the left lower 90 in the 30th minute, but Shockers netminder Greg Monroe made a sliding save to prevent the goal. 

Four minutes later, Shockers forward Wisdom Ashaya took a long touch after a give-and-go pass from midfielder Dylan Maxon to fire the ball to the back of the net to increase New York’s lead to 2-0. 

Nagy soon responded in the 39th minute and put Valeo FC on the board, which concluded the first half with the score at 2-1. 

Defender Abdul Barrie caught the Shockers off guard, and sent a through ball from the Valeo FC back line to reach attack Cleon Pryce.  After a one-on-one with Monroe, Pryce found the back of the net to equalize the game 2-2. 

To gain the upperhand, Valeo FC headed a cross from a direct kick into the net in the 64th minute.  They put in another in the 80th minute to seal the victory. 

Despite being down, the Shockers forward Kevin Winglosky managed to score in extra time to make the final score 4-3.

The Shockers’ record falls to 3-3, as Valeo FC’s record improves to 4-1-1.

Even after tonight’s loss, with only four regular season matches remaining, head coach Matt Esposito is still optimistic that the Shockers can make a postseason run. 

“As far as the playoff picture, I’m pretty confident that we’re in a good position for that,” Esposito said. “We’ve proven that we’ve been in every game.”

The Shockers will remain home to host Hartford City FC next weekend on June 19 at 7:00 pm. 

Photo Credit: Amber Yarter/New York Shockers