Box Score

Purchase, NY (Oct. 27, 2011) – Hollywood couldn't have scripted a more dramatic game Thursday night at Purchase.  
 
Aside from the ending, Purchase and SUNY Maritime played a game for the ages. And although the Panthers would come up just short, falling 1-0 in their regular season finale, with a chance to advance to the postseason on the line, spectators witnessed one of the finest games in Purchase history.
 
The men's soccer program has arrived. Head coach James Quiroga and assistant coach Lonny Unger skippered a huge turnaround in 2011 – from one win a year ago to the brink of the postseason. Entering Thursday night's matchup, the mission was simple: “Win and in!”
 
The Panthers, sitting just outside of the playoff picture in seventh place, needed a victory to advance to the top six in the standings and with that, advance to the Skyline Conference Tournament this weekend – a place where the women's program had already punched their ticket. It's been a marvelous fall for Purchase athletics, with several programs thriving, and the men's soccer team is among the good vibe these days.
 
Despite the 1-0 outcome Thursday night, that did not change. The Panthers showed their mettle, gave their proverbial all and delighted the crowd on a night when it was easy to have a dampened sprit. The rains came and just kept coming. The skies opened hours before the contest and by game time – 7 p.m. – the frozen rain cascaded from the skies above down on to one of the largest crowds of the season. Even the Mount Saint Mary men's soccer team turned up to watch the game, following their playoff hopes closely. The Knights would benefit from Purchase's heartbreak, clinching the final playoff berth.
 
It all began with Senior Night festivities. Sports Information Director Bobby Ciafardini MCed a brief ceremony for four seniors – Ki Walker (SR/Royalton, VT), Shomari Dias (SR/West Hempstead, NY), David Kurzweil (SR/Bedford, NY) and Nicolas Pereira (SR/Mahopac, NY) (SEE SENIOR CEREMONY SPEECHES BELOW). All four have been invaluable members of the program, with Kurzweil and Dias providing tremendous leadership as captains this season, and Walker joining Kurzweil in the full team transition from forgotten to contender. Pereira has been equally key the past two seasons in sparking the program's turnaround.
 
The festivities set the tone on a brutally cold evening at Purchase. Temperatures dipped around the freezing mark and the rain only made it appear colder. But the “Panther Faithful” was unwavering in its support. The fans cheered until the very end and they felt the agony of the defeat as much as Kurzweil and company, many of which dropped to their knees after the conclusion. The Panthers were spent, exhausting every ounce of effort.
 
Purchase fired away at the goal inside the final minute, with Kurzweil even charging up field as they hurried a few final attempts. The Panthers had their chances – both early and late – but simply could not find the back of the net. Purchase squandered its first golden opportunity around the eight-minute marker in the first half, firing three shots, including two on goal which Maritime did a nice job of blocking defensively.
 
The game was scoreless heading into intermission. Standout forward Blaise Bourgeois (SO/Rochester, NY) provided another key chance with around 34 minutes left. But his play inside the box also came up short.
 
It looked like the game was bound for OT until Maritime got the goal both were searching for.
 
With Kurzweil drawn out in the 84^th minute, midfielder Jack Blunden was in the right place at the right time for Maritime, firing the eventual game-winning goal past the outstretched arms of Kurzweil.
 
The Panthers would go into full attack mode the rest of the way, but never overcame the late score by the Privateers. Maritime clinched second place in conference and will now have a bye. Purchase's season comes to an abrupt end, albeit in a memorable game that almost was for the Panthers.
 
Senior Speeches as written by Bobby Ciafardini
 
“IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN AS WE CELEBRATE THE FINAL HOME GAME FOR SOME OF OUR BEST. TONIGHT IS SENIOR NIGHT AND WE'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE OUR FANTASTIC FOUR ONE MORE TIME BEFORE THE HOME CROWD.
 
OUR FIRST SENIOR IS IN HIS SECOND YEAR AS A MEMBER OF THE PANTHERS. A MAHOPAC, NY NATIVE, NICOLAS PEREIRA HAS ADDED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN PRACTICES AND IN GAMES, THE COACHING STAFF SAID. HE WILL GRADUATE WITH A DEGREE IN ECONOMICS. HE WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS PARENTS, FAITH AND HUGO. A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR NICOLAS PEREIRA.  
 
OUR NEXT SENIOR IS A FOUR-YEAR STARTER AND ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE PLAYERS THE PANTHER PROGRAM HAS EVER KNOWN. WHETHER IN THE MIDFIELD OR DEFENSIVELY, KI WALKER HAS BEEN A ROCK. DURING HIS FOUR YEARS, HE PLAYED ALMOST EVERY POSITION ON THE FIELD. AND THIS YEAR IS NO DIFFERENT. THE VERSATILE WALKER, A TRUE LEADER, HAS PLAYED IN EVERY GAME. THE SOON-TO-BE SCULPTURE MAJOR WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS PARENTS, RANDY AND JENNY. A BIG HAND FOR THE YOUNG MAN FROM ROYALTON VERMONT, CARTER KI WALKER.  
 
OUR NEXT SENIOR TRANSFERRED FROM BRIARCLIFF COLLEGE AND IMMEDIATELY BECAME AN IMPACT PLAYER FOR THE PANTHERS, ASSISTANT COACH LONNY UNGER SAID.
 
I AGREE LONNY.
 
LIKE KI WALKER, THE TEAM CO-CAPTAIN PLAYED IN EVERY CONTEST THIS FALL. HE STARTED EVERY GAME ON THE BACK-LINE AND IS A KEY REASON THE PANTHERS HAVE GREATLY IMPROVED. WITH A WIN TONIGHT, THE PANTHERS WILL GO FROM WORST TO PLAYOFFS IN JUST ONE SEASON, THANKS LARGELY TO SHOMARI DIAS. THE NEW MEDIA MAJOR WAS A THREE-SPORT ATHLETE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND LEAVES HIS MARK IN MEN'S SOCCER AT PURHASE IN A VERY SHORT TIME. LET'S HEAR IT FOR WEST HEMPSTEAD'S SHOMARI DIAS.
 
OUR FINAL SENIOR TONIGHT SHARES THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE PROGRAM'S PROGRESS OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS. HE AND KI WALKER HAVE SEEN COACHING CHANGES AND PLAYER PERSONAL MOVES APLENTY, BUT DAVID KURZWEIL HAS REMAINED STEADFAST IN HIS APPROACH. HE WENT FROM SPLITTING TIME HIS FIRST YEAR TO COMING OUT OF GOAL HIS SECOND AND PLAYING STRIKER TO FILL A NEED TO RETURNING HIS JUNIOR YEAR IN GOAL. LAST SEASON HE MADE AN IMPRESSIVE 170 SAVES AND WAS NAMED TEAM MVP.
 
THIS YEAR THE CO-CAPTAIN POSTED THREE SHUTOUTS, WITH A VERY GOOD .827 SAVE PERCENTAGE AND A 1.48 GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE, KEYING PURCHASE'S IMPROVEMENT. ONE MORE TIME FOR OUR NETMINDER, BEDFORD, NY'S FINEST, DAVID KURZWEIL.”