The Berkeley College of New York men's soccer team is headed back to the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game, as the No. 4 seeded Knights defeated the No. 1 seeded Steels of Culinary Institute of America in a HVIAC semifinal round game by a score of 2-1 in a shootout Sunday afternoon.
With the victory, the Knights will have a chance to capture a conference crown next Sunday against No. 2 seeded Albany Pharmacy, as the Panthers cruised by No. 3 seeded St. Joseph's College by a score of 8-2 in the other semifinal round contest. Berkeley College and Albany College of Pharmacy played for the championship last season, with the Panthers claiming the title by a score of 1-0.
Berkeley College and Culinary Institute were scoreless as the teams broke at halftime. The Steels scored the first goal of the game in the 50th minute (49:56) when Dan Landon would notch an unassisted goal to give his team a one-goal edge. A little less than seven and a half minutes later, the Knights' Shonoray Ryan - who has been a terrific player for Berkeley this season - scored the game-tying goal (from Yannick Mabouye at 57:13). Neither school was able to tally a goal the remainder of regulation, and the semifinal round contest headed to overtime.
Two overtimes were played, but the Knights and Steels will weren't able to notch the game-winning goal, so the intense contest headed to a shootout. Each team selected five shooters, with the Knights kicking first. In the first round of kicks, both Berkeley's Johan Hildingssoon and CIA's Macrus Prioste were not able to convert on their opportunities. The Knights scored goals in rounds two and three, as Berkeley kickers Mabouye and Veprim Gashi each found the back of the net. The Steels' Jose Sabogal failed to score in the second round, but CIA's Stefano Schiaffino netted a goal in the third round. After three rounds of the shootout, Berkeley held a 2-1 edge.
In the fourth round of kicks, the Knights' Mario Alexis and CIA's Dan Landon each failed to convert on their chances, so the Knights held a 2-1 lead as the shootout moved into the final round. Stepping to the ball for his chance for Berkeley College was Ryan, who had tied the game earlier in regulation. He would come up clutch once again, netting a goal and clinching the exhilerating win for the Knights. Following the victory, Head Coach Stavros Zomopoulous gave his thoughts on the team's triumph.
"Our team gave it their all today, and left everything they had on the field," Zomopoulous said."They believed in one another and trusted one other, and I'm very proud that they were able to pull it together and come away with a very gratifying victory. Now we have a chance to win a conference championship next Sunday against a very formidable opponent - the defending champion Panthers. We will take this week to prepare, and then we'll give it our best shot against them."
Culinary Institute held a 21-12 advantage in the shots category, and the Steels had seven corner kicks to Berkeley's five. The Knights were whistled for 21 fouls, while CIA committed 15. Knights netminder Mathias Valle picked up the win in net, making six saves in the process.Culinary Institute's Jonathan Bedell took the tough loss in goal, making three saves.
Berkeley College and Albany Pharmacy will meet for the HVIAC title next Sunday in a game that will be played at Culinary Institute of America. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 1:00pm.
