Men Drop Final Regular Season Game In Overtime

The Vaughn College men's soccer team played their final regular season match against the SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) Oaks on Saturday, October 19. The Warriors entered the match against the defending Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) champions having already secured a playoff birth in the HVIAC post-season tournament. However the Warriors needed a win to improve their playoff seeding. 

Similar to their previous match against the Five Towns College Sound, the Warriors gave up the first goal of the game. Albert Forero (New Rochelle, NY), scored the equalizer goal late in the second half. Unfortunately for the Warriors the Oaks responded with a goal of their own to regain the lead in the 86 minute. 

Once again Warriors' captain Azzeddine Sekkat (Astoria, NY) increased his level of play in efforts to lead his team to a comeback. Sekkat scored the game tying goal for the Warriors on a free kick to send the game into overtime.

The Warriors have not played an overtime game this season. In addition to being the visiting team, the Warriors played the entire match without either of their primary goal keepers. The men's soccer team was not able to complete the comeback. They gave up the game winning goal on a penalty kick in the first overtime period. 

The 3-2 loss to the Oaks locked the Warriors as the number four seed in the 2019 HVIAC post-season tournament. The men's soccer team will face the number one seed Berkeley College (NY) on Saturday October 25. The HVIAC post-season tournament will be held at Albany College of  Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) in Albany, NY