Albany, N.Y. – The ACPHS Men's Soccer team improved to 4-2-1 after beating Springfield Technical Community College 8-0 at ACPHS Field Thursday evening.
In honor of pediatric awareness month, ACPHS's game was dedicated to the Pinky Swear Foundation – whose mission is to help children with cancer and their families with financial and emotional support. Additionally, the Albany Ronald McDonald House was in attendance for Today's match – this organization strives to help families face the burdens of childhood illnesses in a loving and compassionate environment.
The Panthers came out scorching hot in the first period; Forward Charles Middleton (Syracuse, N.Y.) made a flawless pass between two defenders to set up Senior Firaas Anis for the first score of the game. At the 28-minute-mark, Midfielder Sahil Arora (Waterford, N.Y.) stole the ball and scored an exceptional goal in the top right-hand corner. In the remaining 10 minutes, Jay Carlson (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), Charles Njoku (Bronx, N.Y.), and Middleton all contributed with goals of their own to close out the dominant half.
ACPHS picked up right where they left off in the remaining 45 minutes of play. Njoku was able to pick up his second goal 25 minutes into the half, and Midfielder Sam Rowley (Queensbury, N.Y.) scored two of his own to secure the Panthers' victory. After a low-scoring affair last Saturday, the Panthers' offense seemed to be in mid-season form this evening – tonight's efforts were the spark ACPHS needed to gain some momentum heading into the later part of the season
"The biggest stress in practice has been moving the ball quickly. Everything we talked about was, get it, find the next guy and move the ball. We started out a little rough, but we picked it up once we got the ball moving. We're a tough team to beat once we start finding the open guy," said Coach John Adeseko.
After the game, Arora was asked how the team can improve as it gets closer to the end of the season, "Today we did great, but there are always things to improve on. Today wasn't the challenge we were looking for; we believe we can keep up with the best of the best. We can work on cleaning the little things up. Today we passed and shot well but cleaning some things up will take us far."
The Panthers will look to extend their win streak when they host Marywood University Saturday, October 1st.
How to follow the Panthers: For the latest information on ACPHS athletics, visit acphspanthers.com or check out the ACPHS athletics social media platforms on Instagram @ACPHSPanthers or Twitter @ACPHSAthletics.
This story was contributed by Nikolas Gheiler
