The Berkeley College men's soccer team faced off against Five Towns College Sunday in the Knights' home finale at Frank D. Zaccaria Memorial Park, and in a competitive clash, the teams played to a 2-2 tie. With that output, Berkeley finalized its regular season at 12-3-3, while Five Towns moved to 10-4-4.
In a match that had the pace and intensity of a playoff match, Berkeley struck first when Gabriel Borges tapped home Fernando Morales' pass at 17:18 to put the hosts ahead 1-0. The conference foes combined to register a total of 24 shots in the opening half, but Borges' tally was the only one that found the net, as Berkeley held a slim 1-0 edge as time expired on the opening half.
The second half featured plenty of drama, starting with Angel Chavez's match-tying goal at 49:45. Chavez collected Josue Fuentes' pass in the box before blasting it home to square the match at one apiece. Berkeley and Five Towns stayed deadlocked at a goal apiece until the Sound's Sebastian Cuenca cashed in on a penalty kick opportunity to put the visitors up 2-1.
With times dire, Berkeley continued to push to try and net the equalizer, earning themselves a golden opportunity inside the final five minutes when the Knights drew a foul inside the box. Jason DeJesus would take the penalty kick, easily drilling to tie the match for Berkeley. The contest was later called at 86:18, with the teams settling for a 2-2 tie.
Both goaltenders played phenomenally in net. Berkeley backup netminder Jack Giannini allowed just two goals but made seven saves, including a handful of incredible stops. His counterpart, Jose Garcia, was also brilliant, as he yielded two scores and six saves, including a few sensational saves.
For the match, Berkeley held slim edges in shots (20-18) and corner kicks (8-6). Five Towns was whistled for 23 fouls, with the Knights getting called for 15.
After the match, the Berkeley College Department of Athletics took the time to honor seniors in a special ceremony. Seniors Suad Lukovic, Allan Luna, Hector Castro, Julian Pereira, Michael Paredes, David Gil-Aguirre, Fabrizio Godos, and Ian Pallardel were all honored and presented with commemorative trophies in a show of appreciation for their dedication and sacrifice.
Berkeley will begin the Regional postseason this weekend, as the Knights and Sound will play rematch in the NACIA semifinals on Saturday. The match will take place in Albany, NY, with a start time to-be-determined.
