Release courtesy of Sarah Lawrence Athletics
YONKERS, N.Y.—In a must-win game to preserve the Gryphons' postseason hopes, Sarah Lawrence College men's soccer was defeated by Vaughn College, 2-1, in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Tibbetts Brook Park on Thursday night.
After Sarah Lawrence (3-9, 3-4 HVIAC) outshot the visitors by a 5-1 margin in the opening 15 minutes, Vaughn (5-5, 4-3 HVIAC) struck first blood in the 24th. SLC goalkeeper Elliott Warkus (Waimea, Hawai'i/Parker School) made a diving save to stop a shot off the foot of Abdullah Kure, but Tarek Elabasy was in position to put the rebounded ball into the net.
Less than five minutes later, the Gryphons responded when Tahmid Munat (Dhaka, Bangladesh/Notre Dame) fed a perfectly-placed pass through the middle of the Warriors' back line. Junior Ishaan Pujari (Bangalore, India/Inventure Academy) tracked down the ball and slammed it home for his team-leading ninth-goal of the season.
After coming out of the break tied 1-1, both teams had aggressive scoring opportunities in the early goings of the second half. Vaughn's David Morales broke the silence in the 63rd minute, putting the Warriors in front yet again.
The Gryphon offense continued to fire shots, forcing Vaughn goalie Ahmed Aly to make eight saves on the day. In the end, time expired on SLC's chances, and Vaughn notched the 2-1 win.
Warkus finished the match with 11 saves, his highest total since notching 12 in the team's season opener. Pujari totaled a team-high five shots, followed by three shots apiece by Rodrigo Cuenca (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla Country Day) and Sebastiano Foresi (New York, N.Y./United Nations International School).
With the loss, Sarah Lawrence was eliminated from contention for a spot in the 2013 HVIAC Men's Soccer Championship. Vaughn joins Berkeley College (N.Y.), Culinary Institute and Albany Pharmacy to make up the four-team field.
Sarah Lawrence hosts Cooper Union for its next game. Action kicks off at Tibbetts Brook Park on Saturday at 5 p.m. Fan transportation will depart Campbell Sports center at 4:30 p.m.
