Men's Soccer Topples Albany Pharmacy With Five-Goal Outburst

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—In one of their biggest wins in program history, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team proved to be a contender in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, defeating defending champion Albany College of Pharmacy, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon at Aviator Sports and Events Center.

The Bears (3-3, 1-1 HVIAC) won their second straight and picked up their first win all-time against the Panthers (3-3-1, 2-1 HVIAC) who suffered their first league defeat and were fresh off a 4-1 victory over perennial contender Berkeley.

St. Joseph's never trailed in the contest and led by as many as two goals at two separate points in the game. The Bears held a slight edge in possession and took to the offensive outshooting the Panthers 18-13, with 11 shots on goal, and held a 9-3 corner kick advantage.

Five different Bears scored in the game with senior Raul Urshela (Orlando, Fla./Colonial) getting St. Joseph's on the board early with a header in the 4th minute. Zak Giorgi leveled the game a 1-1 in the 10th minute with a breakaway set up by Mine Ishak.

Junior Thomas Homier (Middletown, Del./Middletown) tallied his team-leading fourth goal of the season with a volley in the 22nd minute off a direct kick from Michael Ortiz (Bushwick, N.Y./Christ the King), which eventually sent the Bears into the break leading 2-1.

Freshman Pandeli Mano (Bayside, N.Y./Bayside) gave the Bears a two-goal cushion with a beautiful strike in the 63rd minute beating his defender on the left wing and firing a shot that hit the right side netting.

But that lead would evaporate in a matter of less than a minute with Panther goals from Arlo Weatherbee and Mine Ishak in the 71st minute separated by just 24 seconds.

Undeterred, the Bears continued to press forward—holding a 12-7 shooting edge in the second half—and took back the lead three minutes later. Junior Louis Williams (Albany, N.Y./Norcross) took a Bencion Barrios (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) corner at the top of the box, created space and fired a rocket that hit the bottom of the crossbar and into the net. Barrios would finish with two assists on the afternoon, also helping on Urshela's opening goal.

St. Joseph's tacked on an insurance goal in the 87th minute when freshman Beka Goduadze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Lyceum "NK") worked his way into the box and was brought down, earning a penalty kick, which he easily converted.

That goal would prove to be the game winner as in the closing seconds, the Panthers scored on a direct free kick from just outside the box from Giorgi.

St. Joseph's has a day off before continuing HVIAC play on Tuesday, September 30th hosting Webb Institute as the first game of a doubleheader at Aviator Field with the women playing USCAA rivals Briarcliffe College in the nightcap. Live stats for both games will be available on SJCBears.com.