Men's Soccer: Five Towns 4, Berkeley 3

Men's Soccer: Five Towns 4, Berkeley 3

Release courtesy Five Towns College Athletic Communications

Dix Hills, NY - The Five Towns College men's soccer team defeated #1 Berkeley-NY Knights 4-3 in a conference game Wednesday evening. Berkeley (10-6-1) came into the game as the #1 team in the HVIAC and #1 in the USCAA Coaches Poll. The Knights were undefeated in the HVIAC and have not allowed a goal to a conference opponent.

Both teams came out with high intensity for a game that would see the score tied three times and four lead changes. Berkeley took the lead first in the 5th minute. A Five Towns foul gave the Knights a set-piece from 40 yards out. Goalkeeper Mouhamed Diop Dia misplayed the ball and Meshema Charles capitalized to find the back of the net.

Anthony Molina tied the score for the Sound in the 15th minute with his third goal of the season. Molina drew a foul that placed the ball 15 yards out on the left sideline. Adrian Santos stepped up to take the kick and placed the ball over the goalie near the back post, which Molina played off his chest into the net.

Five Towns would take the team's first lead in the 37th minute. Robinson Munoz stole the ball from a defender inside the 18-yard box and gave a quick pass to a sliding Adrian Santos who knocked it past the goalkeeper for his 11th goal of the season. Berkeley tied the game in the 42nd minute to go into halftime 2-2.

The Knights retook the lead only two minutes into the second half on a goal from Jonathan Russell, before Five Towns answered back in the 50th minute. William Rivera scored his 13th goal of the season, off a cross from the left side from Anthony Molina. The ball took two bounces before Rivera finished off a one-touch shot to tie the score 3-3.

In a fitting manner, the team's leading scorer Adrian Wong scored his 18th goal of the season and the game-winning goal in the 55th minute of play, from Robinson Munoz's second assist of the day. Wong fired a shot from the top of the 18-yard box past the diving keeper for a 4-3 lead that would hold for the remainder of the game. Munoz finishes the season as the team's leader in assists with 11.

Five Towns goalkeeper Mouhamed Diop Dia had eight saves in the match for his biggest win of the season. The defensive line consisting of Junior Del Rosario, Toshinori Takahashi, Andy Alfonso, and Bassm Ismail displayed a tremendous effort in keeping the ball out of Berkeley's attacking zone.


Release courtesy Berkeley College Athletic Communications

The Berkeley College New York men's soccer team wrapped up its regular season on Wednesday afternoon, falling to the Sound of Five Towns College in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match by a score of 4-3 in a match that took place in Dix Hills, NY.

For the Knights, not only was it their first and only conference loss this season, it also broke Berkeley's streak of five consecutive conference matches without allowing a goal. Berkeley dipped to 10-6-1 on the year with the defeat (5-1 HVIAC), and will still enter this weekend's HVIAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

In a match that would feature three ties and four lead changes, Berkeley took the lead first in the fifth minute. A Five Towns foul provided the Knights a set-piece from 40 yards out. Five Towns netminder Mouhamed Diop Dia misplayed the ball, allowing Berkeley College veteran Meshema Charles to take advantage, as he tapped the ball into the back of the net to give his team a 1-0 edge.

The Sound's Anthony Molina tied the match in the 15th minute, taking advantage of Adrian Santos' pass to the near back post by playing the ball off his chest and blasting it into the net to make it a 1-1 match. Five Towns College took the lead in the 37th minute when Santos scored (Robinson Munoz registered the assist). Berkeley tied the game in the 42nd minute when Tcharly Verna netted a goal (Marcos Leon was credited with the assist). Time would then expire on the first half, with the match tied 2-2.

The Knights retook the lead two minutes into the second half on a goal from Jonathan Russell, but the Sound answered in the 50th minute when William Rivera would score off a cross from the left side from Molina to make it 3-3. Later in the session, Adrian Wong scored the game-winning goal in the 55th minute of play, with Munoz registering his second assist of the match. Wong fired a shot from the top of the 18-yard box past the diving keeper for a 4-3 lead that would hold for the remainder of the game.

Berkeley College out-shot Five Towns College by a count of 17-14 for the match.