The Stony Brook Men’s Soccer team lost to Adelphi Tuesday night, dropping their record to 2-7 for the season. A combination of missed opportunities and sloppy plays opened the field for the Panthers to break through in the second half. Adelphi evened their record to 4-4 with this win.
Early on, the Seawolves showed good footwork in the midfield, keeping the ball forward to put the pressure on the Adelphi defense, but every attempt came up short. The offense worked like a well-oiled machine, but the results just weren’t there. Junior Mahamadou Simpara demonstrated good vision in the midfield push, setting up a give-and-go with Michael Palacio. Without anyone on the finishing end though, nothing came of it.
On the defensive end, the Seawolves did a good job of closing down the Adelphi offense for the first half. They were able to trap the Panthers and send them retreating up the field. Goalie EJ Xikis was dominant between the posts, but a slick ball made for some messy clears at both ends of the pitch. Even though the scoreboard was at double zeroes at the half, it was clear that someone would break it open in the second half.
The Seawolves stormed the field in the opening minutes of the second half, pounding the ball up-field. But before long, the play became sloppy and holes opened up at the defensive end.
Possession shifted in favor of the Panthers as Stony Brook fell back and tried to set up better opportunities. The Seawolves continued to have good movement up and down the field, but passes were not as crisp as the in the first half.
In the 63rd minute, Adelphi’s Ron Forman broke away from the pack and drove up the left wing. With an in-swinging kick from 18 yards out, he launched the ball over a leaping Xikis and buried it in the back of the net.
The Seawolves desperately tried to fight back, but they couldn’t settle into a productive rhythm. While Tamer Mohamed was aggressive with a side volley that was just barely blocked by the Panther’s goalie, rushed shots and messy plays were not going to do the job.
At the other end, Adelphi was not content to sit on their goal and waste the clock, with less than ten minutes left in play, the Panthers pushed forward, putting continual pressure on the Seawolves’ defense. But Xikis tried to keep his team in it, sending the ball back up the field while the defense pushed forward to help out. Unfortunately, the clock ran out on the Seawolves’ comeback attempt.
Last year’s America East Champions now sit in eighth place in the conference, trailed only by winless Maine. The Seawolves try to work their way up the standings when they face NJIT Friday night at home.
