PURCHASE, NY - Freshman defender Avery Stevenson picked the best time to score his first career collegiate goal Tuesday night.

Stevenson's header in the 84th minute pushed the Purchase College men's soccer team to a crucial 1-0 win over Sarah Lawrence College.

Stevenson (Massapequa Park, NY) converted the strike off a corner kick from Juan Arboleda (JR/New Rochelle, NY), as the game neared its finish. Stevenson and Arboleda were perfectly synced up on the play, as the freshman defender began his run from the right side of the box, just as Arboleda lowered his arm to signal the kick was coming.

As the ball floated in, Stevenson dashed over to the left edge of the penalty box, diving in to get his head on the dipping cross. The header was strong, almost too strong in fact, as the shot drifted high and hit the bottom of the crossbar. Luckily for the Panthers, the ball ricocheted down at just the perfect angle and crossed the goal line for the only goal of the night. 

At first neither side was sure it was a goal, but once the referee blew his whistle with confirmation from the assistant referee, Stevenson was mobbed by his teammates on the field. 

From there, the hosts kept the Gryphons of Sarah Lawrence at bay, despite back-to-back corner kicks late in the contest.

While the game was low scoring in the end, it could have easily been higher as both sides created excellent build-ups in play, but just weren't able to convert during the final third. However, Purchase did get close in the first half, as the hosts found the back of the net, before having the strike waved off for offsides. 

Purchase keeper Mario Olmedo (FR/East Elmhurst, NY) did his part in the win, finishing with five saves and his third clean sheet of the season. For Sarah Lawrence, Aaron Ashery (SO/Guilderland, NY) also tallied five saves in the effort.

With the result, the Panthers now sit at 7-6-1 overall, 5-2 in the Skyline Conference and are tied for fourth in the conference. Meanwhile, the Gryphons dropped down to a three-way tie for sixth place in the conference with the loss, as the team is now 5-8-1 overall and 2-5-1 in the Skyline.

Up next for Purchase is another home Skyline match, as the team hosts Maritime College at 2:30 p.m. on October 19th. You can follow that game right here.