PURCHASE, NY - The Purchase College men's soccer team wrapped up the 2019 season with a 2-1 loss Tuesday night, falling to The College at Old Westbury in a Skyline Conference contest.
With the result, the Purchase Panthers finished 7-10-1 overall and 5-6 in the Skyline. As for the Panthers of Old Westbury, they finished the season 7-9-2 and 5-5-1 respectively and clinched a spot in the Skyline Conference playoffs with the win.
Meanwhile for Purchase, the loss dealt a significant blow to its playoff chances, as a win would have clinched a spot for the hosts. The team also had the chance to sneak into the postseason if Maritime College had lost to St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn later in the night. But that didn't happen. Martime managed to edge St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 1-0, which officially knocked the Panthers out of postseason contention.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the men's soccer team, as they had led early in the contest on a goal from
Anthony Guzzone (Shoreham, NY) in the eighth minute.
The strike was setup via a free kick from
Juan Arboleda (JR/New Rochelle, NY), as he sent in the ball from 45-yards and found
Avery Stevenson (FR/Massapequa Park, NY) waiting at the edge of the penalty box. Stevenson managed to rise up and get his head on the ball, flicking it across the box toward goal, where Guzzone was waiting to sneak it in for the lead.
From there, Purchase maintained control by holding Old Westbury off the board. The visiting Panthers nearly tied it in the 31st minute off a corner kick, as the ball landed right in the middle of the box and bounced around for a moment before finally being cleared by the hosts.
As the game entered halftime, the score remained the same but that quickly changed once the second half began.
In the 49th minute, Old Westbury tied the contest on a strike from Michael Gilligan (FR/Glen Head, NY). Gilligan one-timed the ball in off a feed from Cristian Garay (FR/Huntington Station, NY) and setup an exciting finish to the match.
Over the next 20-plus minutes, the two squads battled looking for an edge against the other. Finally, that moment came in the 74th minute for the Panthers of Old Westbury.
After winning a free kick just outside the penalty area, the visiting Panthers quickly took a direct kick and slotted the shot into the left side. The goal from Grixon Moreira (SR/Huntington, NY) caught everyone by surprise, Purchase and Old Westbury players alike, as both sides were still getting setup for the chance.
The final 16 minutes of the contest was an all-out offensive assault by the host Panthers, as they tried to find a goal to send it to overtime. Sadly, the moment never came for the hosts, as they fell 2-1.
On the night, Purchase was outshot 18-16 overall. Goalie
Mario Olmedo (FR/ East Elmhurst, NY) finished with three saves, while James Perciballi (SO/Elmont, NY) tallied four saves in the win.
Despite the outcome, the Panthers have a lot to build on heading into the 2020 season.
The 2019 team finished seventh out of 12 teams in the Skyline, just missing the playoffs. In the preseason, they were chosen to tie for eighth place in the conference. Plus, the 2019 roster had no seniors on it, meaning all 27 members are expected to return next year.
The 2020 men's soccer season is set to begin next September.
