Late Mount Saint Vincent Goal Sinks Men’s Soccer in Skyline Opener

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — In their first conference battle of 2017, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team battled the College of Mount Saint Vincent at Hofstra University. In the sweltering Saturday afternoon heat, the Bears relinquished an early 1-0 lead to the Dolphins and conceded a goal in the 88th minute to fall to 0-1 in Skyline play.

The Basics

• Final Score: Mount Saint Vincent 2, St. Joseph's 1
• Records: Mount Saint Vincent (3-3, 2-0), St. Joseph's (0-5-1, 0-1)
• Location: Hempstead, N.Y. — Hofstra Soccer Stadium

How It Happened

• The game was stuck in a gridlock for most of the first half, as SJC led 6-4 in shots through the first 37 minutes.
• However, a foul in the box by the Dolphin keeper warranted a St. Joseph's penalty kick for freshman Kenneth Garcia (Elmhurst, N.Y./Bayside), which he converted for his second goal of the season and a 1-0 Bears lead.
• Mount Saint Vincent would not let the lead last, as they quickly bounced back two minutes later with a header goal from Guy Horcasitas, finishing a service from the far right wing, to knot the game at 1-1.
• An early shot from Miles Barron early in the second stanza nearly gave the Bears the lead again, but his lofted shot over the goalie hit the crossbar remained out of the goal.
• The second stanza saw another defensive stalemate, but the turning point of the game occurred in the 70th minute when a Bear was sent off for receiving his second yellow card.
• Despite the man disadvantage, the Bears did well to defend, but a lapse in the 88th minute saw the Dolphins break through for the go-ahead goal. Khari Greene headed a ball from midfield ball deep into SJC territory, which was then picked up by Andrew Gomez in a near offside position. Facing 1-on-1 against the keeper, he took the ball wide and placed it into an empty net for the game-winner.

For the Bears

• Garcia led the Bears' offense, firing three shots and netting his squad's only goal, the team-leading second of the season.
• Sophomore Julian Rodriguez (Whitestone, N.Y./Bayside) saved six shots on the day, despite giving up two goals.
• Offensive aggressiveness was a tale of two halves, with the shot totals leaning the Bears' way in the first, 8-5, and the Dolphins way in the second, 8-3, with the Bears playing a man down for the final 20 minutes.

The Bear Facts

• Garcia's goal gave the Bears their first lead over Mount Saint Vincent in three meetings. The Dolphins took a 5-0 decision in 2015 and a 4-2 triumph last year.

Next Up for the Bears

• A trip to Newburgh, N.Y. on Wednesday (Sep. 27) for their first Skyline road matchup, taking on Mount Saint Mary College with kick-off set for 7 p.m. Live stats will be available at SJCBears.com.