Release courtesy of ACPHS Athletics
The ACPHS Panthers used a strong performance by Kyle Jenkins (Holbrook, NY / Sachem East High School) to propel them to a 5-3 victory over the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Mighty Oaks. With the win, ACPHS improves to 11-4 overall, and will move on to the HVIAC Championship Game. Following the loss, SUNY-ESF finishes the season 6-7-1.
The Panthers looked good in the opening 15 minutes with a few early chances, but it was the Mighty Oaks that opened the scoring in the 17th minute. A failed clearance fund the right foot of forward Owen Hennigan, who placed a well-timed volley over the head of senior keeper Matt Houlihan (Levittown, NY / Kellenberg Memorial High School) to net his 5th of the season. A defensive lapse allowed the Panthers to get back in it 10 minutes later, when defender Eitan Kiin slipped to let senior Alexander Perry-Ferrari (Rochester, NY / Gates-Chili High School) in on goal. Perry-Ferrari made no mistake and beat ESF goalie Bryce DeMers on the ground to tie the score at 1. Jenkins would then make his mark on the game in the 39th and 44th minutes. Two separate counterattacks sent Jenkins behind the defense. One clinical finish and one fortunate deflection off the defender later gave Jenkins his 7th and 8th goals of the season, and ACPHS a 3-1 lead headed into the half.
The Panthers came out with the Championship on their mind in the second half, scoring in the 59th and 78th minutes off of two well-worked goals. The first a counterattack following a failed ESF corner, junior Zak Giorgi (Whitesboro, NY / Whitesboro High School) finished a perfectly placed Mina Girgis (Canyon Country, CA / John Burroughs HS) through ball to give the Panthers a 3-goal advantage. The Mighty Oaks were given a route back into the game in the 55th minute after a penalty was award, but Houlihan guessed correctly and parried Zach Reda's shot away from danger. Senior Kyle Perry (Irasburg, VT / Lake Region Union HS) extended the Panther's lead 20 minutes later off a shot blocked by the Mighty Oaks defense. He gave the keeper no chance, beating the keeper high for his third goal of the season. The game began to get a bit chippy down the stretch, but ESF was able to claw back two goals late to give finish the game off 5-3. A slight altercation saw sophomore Jack Hanlon (Guilderland, NY / Guilderland High School) and ESF midfielder Geoff Golick awarded a yellow card and a red card respectively after the game concluded. Junior Connor Laughlin (Cohoes, NY / Cohoes High School) and Perry each added assists, and Houlihan improved to 9-4-0 on the season after the win.
The ACPHS men's team faces the #1 seeded Berkeley Knights tomorrow, October 25th at ACPHS Athletic Field in the HVIAC Championship game at 11:30am. The Panthers lost 5-2 when the two teams played a week ago in New York City. Following a short ceremony, the ACPHS women will face-off against SUNY-ESF in the other HVIAC Championship Game at 3:00pm.
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Release courtesy of ESF Athletics
The Mighty Oaks men's soccer team fell to Albany College of Pharmacy Saturday in its first Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) tournament.
In the first game of the day, the men's team fell 5-3 to the hosts, Albany Pharmacy. Like most games during the men's 2015 season, this game did not lack in drama. A faulty clear by the Panthers at the 16th minute in the first half allowed ESF to take an early lead thanks to sophomore Owen Hennigan's positioning to catch the errant ball and put it in the back of the net. The Panthers tied up the game 10 minutes later off a bad clear by ESF. Albany Pharmacy netted two more goals before the end of the first half putting the Panthers up 3-1.
In the second half, Albany Pharmacy added two more goals in the first 10 minutes to take an almost insurmountable lead of 5-1. The Mighty Oaks would not give up, fighting hard and controlling possession. ESF had a great scoring opportunity off a penalty kick at the 60-minute mark but the Panthers' goalie stopped the shot. Junior Jarrett Temple finally found the back of the net at the 77th minute off an assist from sophomore Christopher Lawrence. Seven minutes later senior Dan McGraw curled in a shot to make the score 5-3. ESF played strong until the very end. The men's soccer team finishes its season with a 6-7-1 overall record, 5-2 in HVIAC play.
"We started off strong, but let up too many goals in a short period of time. We didn't give up and fought hard until the end," said senior Captain Wyatt Wesner. Head Coach Dan Ramin reflected on the season: "I am proud of these boys. We faced a lot of adversity as well as injuries during the season. We played a few high-caliber teams and held our own. We played great against our HVIAC opponents. I wish the seniors all the best and thank them for their dedication and commitment to the Mighty Oaks soccer program."