PURCHASE, N.Y. -- The Manhattanville College men's soccer team saw their 2019 season come to an end on penalty kicks, Wednesday, Nov. 6. The Valiants fell to SUNY Maritime College in a Skyline Conference semifinal matchup with a 5-4 score in penalty kicks after playing all of regulation and overtime to a 0-0 tie.
The game began with both teams going back and forth. Neither squad could find a significant advantage in the first half of play. Manhattanville (13-2-3, 10-0-1 Skyline) and Maritime (11-9-2, 5-5-1 Skyline) each managed to take three shots and neither team dominated a significant portion of play.
The second half was a different story. Play shifted in favor of the Valiants and they outshot the Privateers 13-2 in the half and controlled most of the possession. They were unable to put a goal past Maritime despite opportunities on goal from junior midfielder Pablo Bravo Olle (Barcelona, Spain/LFG Bon Soleil) and sophomore midfielder Cody LaCava (New Egypt, N.J./New Egypt). The 0-0 score line held throughout regulation and the game transitioned to overtime.
Overtime was dominated by the Valiants. Manhattanville controlled play and kept the pressure on Maritime. In both overtime periods, they managed four shots to the Privateers one and held a two to zero advantage in corner kicks. Maritime continued to weather the storm despite the pressure and sent the game into penalty kicks.
In penalty kicks, both teams traded goals through the first four penalties. Maritime made the first mistake when a shot from the Privateers' Frank Schmidt went off the crossbar and then freshman forward Eli Pardo (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) converted his attempt to give Manhattanville a 3-2 advantage. The Valiants lost their advantage when freshman midfielder Michael Mezzina (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Morris Catholic) sent his attempt off the cross bar. Each team converted four of their first five shots and Maritime converted their fifth penalty on their sixth attempt. The game would end when the Maritime goalkeeper saved a shot from junior defender Mike Capetola (Carmel, N.Y./Carmel).
The game closed out an incredible season for Manhattanville. The team finished with 13 wins to match their total from last season and the loss ended the teams impressive 13-game unbeaten streak. The Valiants have nowhere to go but up and with no graduating seniors they should be able to return most of the starting lineup. They are well prepared to mount an outstanding 2020 campaign.
