Men's Team Falls in Soccer Tournament; Women's Team Wins

10/24/2015

The Mighty Oaks men's soccer team fell to Albany College of Pharmacy Saturday in its first Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) tournament but the women's team came away with a win over King'sCollege.

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."

It was a different story in the women's game as the Mighty Oaks cruised past King's College 6-0. Junior Heather Carl opened the scoring six minutes into the game on a rebound off the King's College goalie. Six minutes later, Abbie Moddafei's header off a cross from senior Bryony Striffler put ESF up 2-0. Another goal by sophomore Lauren Archer in the wanning seconds of the first half gave the Mighty Oaks a 3-0 lead at half time.

The Mighty Oaks controlled the ball most of the second half. Second half goals were scored by Madison Cummiskey assisted by Anna Bishop (60'), Lauren Archer assisted by Natalee Wrege (80') and Jessie Smith assisted by Megan Steward (82'). The women's soccer team will face Albany College of Pharmacy in the HVIAC championship game on Oct. 25. ESF's only loss this season was a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Panthers on Sept. 27.