Auburn, ME - The home of the Mustangs was the spot for this year's YSCC Conference Title game. The Panthers, after taking down second seeded Paul Smith's were ready to take on whoever they faced. The opponent they ended up facing was the host school in Central Maine a team they beat earlier in the year.
The first half saw these two teams go back and forth throughout. The Panthers gave up a goal early on in the fourth minute, but followed up with a goal of their own by
Julia Roemer (Latham, NY). The Panthers got this goal a little more than a minute after the Mustangs did to tie the game up a 1. Defense was a big factor for the next portion of the first half as the game stayed tied for a while after both teams scored a goal. It was the twenty first minute that saw the Mustangs strike again giving themselves a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers tried to find their next opportunity and they did just that. In the thirty first minute, the Panthers would go on a string of goal scoring that would help give them the lead. The first goal came by Roemer again on a pass by Sophomore
Ka'ena Kehano (Wailuku, HI) to tie the game at 2. Senior
Emily Sager (Poughquag, NY) would be the next Panther to score the following two goals to put the Panthers up 4-2 in the 40th minute. The Mustangs retaliated and went on a run of goals themselves to help take back the lead. The Mustangs would find themselves scoring three goals to take a 5-4 lead.
In the second half, it seemed to be all defensive focused as neither team scored a goal. The Panthers truly fought hard in this one, really making sure every time they fell behind, they could fight back. Unfortunately, the Panthers rallies got stopped in the second half, and could not find the equalizer. Although they lost by one goal in the title game, they really had an amazing season. They fought hard, played well, and also led the conference in total team goals. They really worked hard, and got themselves into this title game. In the end, the Panthers were the runner up in the YSCC this year.
The Panthers season is not over yet though, as they await to see if they get a bid into the USCAA National Tournament. Bid day is Thursday, and DII Women's soccer bid day show starts at 4PM.
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.
