PURCHASE. NY - There's just something about these Panthers!

The Purchase College men's soccer team earned another hard-fought victory Saturday afternoon, outlasting the Dolphins of Mount Saint Vincent, 1-0.

The lone goal of the match came in the 25th minute, after Brandon Balcaceres (FR/Farmingdale, NY) converted a penalty kick off a foul in the box that he drew. The freshman remained poised during the chance, slotting the ball slightly to the left side and easily beating the keeper, who dove the wrong direction. 

From there, Purchase controlled the contest the rest of the way, both on offense and defense. The hosts nearly doubled their advantage late, when Mount Saint Vincent's keeper was caught out of position in the 81st minute. Sadly, Vincent La Fata (JR/East Meadow, NY) hit the crossbar with the ensuing shot, leaving the contest at 1-0. 

However, no insurance goals were needed on the afternoon, as the Panther defense stomped out any attacking chances from the guests before they even began. On the day, Purchase outshot Mount Saint Vincent, 21-4 overall and 9-0 on goal. 

With the win, the Panthers are now 5-2-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference. That 3-0 mark represents the best start to a Skyline season for the men since joining the conference back in 2007.

As for the Dolphins, Padelis Astrindis (SR/Flushing, NY) finished with eight saves, as they dropped 1-7 overall and 0-2 in the Skyline.

Up next for the Panthers is more conference action, as the team hosts U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on October 1st at 7 p.m. You can follow that game here.