Albany, N.Y. – The ACPHS Men's Soccer team improved to 1-1 after beating Fulton Montgomery Community College in Albany Thursday afternoon 4-3, in their regular season home debut.
ACPHS came out blazing in the first half – Senior Forward Anes Bostandzic (Utica, N.Y.) put up the first points of the game one minute in with a penalty kick. Things didn't stop there for the Panthers; Sophomore Midfielder Michael Dean (New Windsor, N.Y.) was able to strike twice before the close of the first period. Dean's first goal came 18 minutes in – assisted by Senior Forward Charles Middleton (Syracuse, N.Y). The Panther's final goal of the half was a complete team effort; Firaas Anis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was able to find Midfielder Sahil Arora (Waterford, N.Y.), who set up Dean for his final goal of the half with eight minutes remaining.
Although the Raiders kept things interesting by scoring two goals in the span of two minutes late in the first, ACPHS's early efforts proved too much as they closed out the half up 3-2.
In the second period, ACPHS's defense prevailed. Arrora put the Panthers up 4-2 with 19 minutes to go – however, Fulton Montgomery's Moussa Sonogo kept things interesting, putting the Raiders down one with seven minutes to play. Despite the scare, two late saves from Sophomore Goalie Ryan Herrick (Massena, N.Y.) was enough to seal the victory.
After the game – Coach John Adeseko was asked how it feels to get back in the winning column, "It feels great! The boys have been working hard; they deserve this win. We have been training hard and getting our fitness up, which was evident today."
"I knew we had a rough start, so I was looking to make any spark I could to get us going. If it weren't for my teammates, I wouldn't have had that shot in the first place – it was a group effort," said Michael Dean when asked what his mindset was after losing the season opener.
The Panthers will look to keep the ball rolling when they host Vermont Technical College Sunday, September 11th.
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
