Albany, NY - The men's soccer team hosted the SUNY Adirondack Timberwolves on Saturday night for their first game of the season.
The Panthers started hot, controlling the ball early and getting a lot of shots up. Senior Ian Rathbun (Queensbury, NY) was the first to get on the board after a nice assist from Max Sheehan (Clifton Park, NY). After that first goal, things started to get physical. Rathbun managed to score again with 15 minutes to go in the half and then a third time on a penalty kick following a SUNY ADK yellow card right before half to get the hat trick.
Going into the second half down 3-0, the Timberwolves came out with a different defensive plan. This time, they were the ones dominating ball control, but the physicality between both teams only kept increasing. In the second half alone, there were a total of 6 yellow cards between both teams. The Timberwolves capitalized, scoring thrice on penalty kicks to tie the game with about 25 minutes to go.
However, during those final 25 minutes, the Panthers were unable to gain any momentum. The Timberwolves completed their comeback by scoring three more goals before the final horn to win the game 6 - 3.
The Panthers will look ahead to their next matchup on Wednesday when they host SUNY Cobleskill.
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.
