Bears Soccer Shows Tough Defense Against Albany Pharmacy but Falls in HVMAC Opener

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team opened up their 2012 Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) schedule with a 3-0 setback against the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on Sunday afternoon at the SJC Outdoor Complex.

St. Joseph's (0-3, 0-1 HVMAC) played a tough defensive game against the defending HVMAC champions and current #9 ranked team in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), trailing only 1-0 at the break but had limited scoring opportunities and couldn't find the back of the net in the contest.

Albany Pharmacy (6-2, 4-0 HVMAC) opened up the scoring in the 25th minute with a goal by MaCullen Cope from the top of the box into the side netting that left sophomore goalie Michael Miner (Schenevus, NY/Schenevus) defenseless.

In the second stanza, reigning HVMAC Player of the Week Zach Hecox scored goals in the 45th and 66th minutes to help the Panthers pull away. Albany Pharmacy outshot the Bears by a 23-9 advantage with Miner recording seven saves in defeat.

Freshmen Matthew O'Neill (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) and Kyle Johnson (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook Central) led St. Joseph's offensively with four and three shots, respectively. Sophomore Marco Fuentes (Orlando, FL/Timber Creek) and freshman Deleon Johnson (Toronto, Canada/Roosevelt) anchored the Bears defense that stymied the Panther attack for the much of the game.

St. Joseph's looks to rebound when they take on Medgar Evers this Thursday, September 23 at the Aviator Sports Complex in a doubleheader with the women. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. with the Lady Bears leading the action followed by the Bears at 8:00 p.m.