Guenzatti Volley Secures 1-0 Victory for Cosmos Over AV Alta FC
- Emilio Lopez
- Aug 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 21
August 15, 2026 Hinchliffe Stadium, Harrison, NJ
The New York Cosmos defeated AV Alta FC 1-0 at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson. Captain Sebastián Guenzatti scored the lone goal of the match on a 61st-minute volley, securing a clean sheet and first professional win for goalkeeper Tristan Stephani.
The Cosmos came into the match looking to improve off of a disappointing 2-0 loss to Richmond, while AV Alta, fresh off of a 3-0 victory over Fort Wayne FC, was looking to improve its position on the table, currently sitting in a playoff position. On paper the Cosmos appeared to present one of their strongest elevens of the season, with new signing Stalyn Acosta being inserted at left-back and Michael Clilaka being slotted at his more familiar center back role, being paired with Anderson Holt, and Massimo Morabito at right-back. The midfield included the experienced Ozzie Ramos, Ajmeer Spengler and Frankie Ljucovic, while the attack welcomed back Cristian Koffi, fresh off of long injury absence, and Lamin Jawneh with the ever reliable Sebastian Guenzatti. Tristan Stephani was back behind the nets, appearing to finally claim the number 1 role on the team.
The match commenced with the Cosmos pushing forward early. AV Alta was forced into an early substitution in the 8th minute (Adam Aoumaich replacing injured Jerry Desdunes). Cosmos would implement a high-press which seemed to cause difficulties for the visitors, who nevertheless would sustain large moments of possession, but generate little to no danger. New York would generate multiple opportunities and forced saves from AV Alta's Denzil Smith, though a notable missed opportunity by Guenzatti in the 34th minute kept the game deadlocked. Guenzatti appeared to be on his way to capitalizing on a turnover in the box, but his shot was deflected by Smith and clanged off the top corner of the post. The revamped Cosmos back-line led by Michael Chilaka and goalkeeper Tristan Stephani stayed organized, preventing AV Alta from recording any shots on target before the break. After a relatively even first half both sides would head into the locker-rooms knotted at 0.
The New York Cosmos would keep up their attacking pressure, carrying their first-half momentum into the second half. The Cosmos efforts would finally pay off in the 61st minute with Captain Sebastián Guenzatti breaking the deadlock with a sharp volleyed finish, off of right-footed cross by Lamin Jawneh. On the build up to the goal, Ajmeer Spengler would absorb heavy pressure on his back from AV Alta before finding Jawneh on the left wing, Jawneh would then deliver a nice ball to Sebastián Guenzatti who would smash home the eventual winning goal. AV Alta FC would make tactical changes and pushed numbers forward for an equalizer, but the Cosmos backline would stay organized. In the 69th minute Cosmos would bring in Nick Zielonka in place of Jawneh. Zielonka would have two clear chances to score, most notably in the 74th minute, after a nice sequence by Koffi and Spengler which would find Zielonka in the box, with the forward unable to finish off the sequence. In the 78th minute Davide Galazzini would replace Acosta at left-back and Patrick Bohui would take the place of Koffi as Cosmos looked for fresh legs to help cement the result. AV Alta would try to muster some offense but not provide any real threat to Stephani and the Cosmos back line. Darren Sidoel would enter in the 89th minute in place of Spengler, looking to slow down AV Alta's tempo. A scary sequence immerged in stoppage time as some miscommunicating between Chilaka and Stephani, would result in a back-pass by Chilaka finding Stephani outside the box. Stephani would scramble and do well to save the ball from entering his net. Soon after the match would end with the Cosmos preserving the shutout through stoppage time, and snapping the team's winless skid with a 1-0 final score.
The Cosmos head back to the road the next three matches. With a more competitive roster the team looks to get a breakthrough on the road and bring back some points to Paterson. Bangladesh midfielder Shamit Shome should soon be cleared to play adding another important piece to Davide Corti's puzzle.
NEW YORK COSMOS 1-0 AV ALTA FC
NEW YORK COSMOS (4-2-3-1): Stephani; Morabito, Holt, Chilaka, Acosta (78′ Bohui); Ljucovic, Ramos; Koffi (78′ Galazzini), Spengler (89′ Sidoel), Jawneh (69′ Zielonka); Guenzatti. Subs: Garcia, Puentes, Chavez, Milovanov. Coach: Davide Corti.
AV ALTA FC (4-4-2): Smith; Christian Ortiz, Ceja, Pehlivanov, Relerford (71′ Pajaro); Bahena Jr., Lay, Maboumou (71′ Ramos), Antwi (58′ Higareda); Ibarra (58′ Acuna), Desdunes (8′ Aoumaich). Subs: Winum, Gonzalez. Coach: Brian Kleiban.
Goal: 61′ Guenzatti (C). (Jawneh assist)
Booked: 39′ Ramos (C), 52′ Christian Ortiz (ALT), 58′ Relerford (ALT), 67′ Pehlivanov (ALT), 86′ Bahena Jr. (ALT).
MATCH STATS
Possession: Cosmos 34% – AV Alta 66%
Shots: Cosmos 17 – AV Alta 6
Shots on Target: Cosmos 7 – AV Alta 2
Touches in Opposition Box: Cosmos 31 – AV Alta 11
Saves: Cosmos 2 – AV Alta 6
Venue: Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, N.J.
Attendance: 1,174
Referee: Alejo Calume
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