Albany, NY - Both soccer teams took on Word of Life on Saturday afternoon in the YSCC Play-In game. The women traveled north to the Huskies while the men got to stay home to play Word of Life in the final home soccer game in ACPHS history.
The women kicked off first in a game that only took two minutes for the first score. Brooke Coon (Stillwater, NY) found the back of the net off an assist from Emma Ye (Ballston Spa, NY). Not even ten minutes later, Emma scored herself. The Panthers defense allowed only 3 shots in the first half for the Huskies before Ailani Aleman-Rivera (Amsterdam, NY) extended their lead to 3-0 just before half.
The second half was more of the same. Both Aleman-Rivera and Coon scored again to seal the deal 5-0. The Huskies finished the game with only 5 shots compared to the 5 goals for the Panthers. Their domination has secured a spot in the YSCC Final Four for the team.
The men later kicked off in Albany in a much closer game. Ball control was pretty even, but the Panthers do in fact have Ian Rathbun (Queensbury, NY). He scored about twelve minutes into the game on a breakaway to give his team the early lead. The Huskies answered by finding the back of the net themselves with just about five minutes left in the half to even the score for halftime.
In the second half, it was Cole Vredenburgh (Delhi, NY) who found Max Sheehan (Clifton Park, NY) to retake the lead. The Huskies scored with just under ten minutes to go to even it up, eventually sending it to overtime. The first overtime went by in the blink of an eye with both teams combining for only 3 shots. In the second overtime, it was Charles Casha (Lindenhurst, NY) who ripped one from nearly half to score the game winning goal, sending the Panthers to the Final Four.
Both soccer teams stay alive as the women will head to the host school Word of Life next weekend for their tournament. The men will head all the way up to Central Maine for theirs in hopes of winning the conference.
What an exciting day of soccer.
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.
