Albany, NY - The men's soccer team hosted Word of Life to take on the Huskies in a play-in game for the YSCC Tournament on Saturday evening. The game kicked off at 4pm and right from the beginning, the playoff intensity was there. Both teams were very physical throughout as two yellow cards were given.
Early on, the teams split possession of the ball fairly evenly. Within the first twenty minutes, the Huskies had 6 shots compared to 5 by the Panthers. The difference was the Huskies found the back of the net off a corner kick while the Panthers remained scoreless to find themselves down 1-0, which wound up being the halftime score.
In the second half, the Panthers dominated time of possession, which wasn't necessarily a surprise considering the Huskies went into defense mode to preserve their lead. They out shot their opponent 11-3, but the Huskies defensive scheming proved successful to hold the Panthers scoreless.
The Huskies goal was the only one of the game, but it was enough to advance to the YSCC Final Four next weekend, effectively eliminating the Panthers and ending their season.
It was a unique season for the Panthers, losing their first four games, but then they figured things out and went 6-3 to finish with a 6-7 record prior to tonight's game. Ian Rathbun (Queensbury, NY) finished with a new single season record of 28 goals, earning a spot on the YSCC All-Conference Team. Vincent DeVito finished the season with a team high 7 assists while Rathbun had 4 of his own.
The team will enter their offseason with eyes set on making a deeper playoff run next year. Most players are expected to return as the team had only one senior: Alex Campos. Campos played in over 40 games for the Panthers as a defenseman as he is on pace to graduate with a degree in Public Health.
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 X @ACPHSAthletics.
Written by Angelo Oddo.
