WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team faced off against the Shaw University Bears today at the Rinker Athletic Campus. The Sailfish won their fifth straight contest, downing the Bears 4-1 and taking their record to 9-1 on the season.

While PBA controlled the game early on, the Sailfish found it difficult to break down the Bears in the final third during the opening 45 minutes. They outshot the Bears 8-1 in the opening half but they failed to beat Shaw goalie Marlon Cruz who made three saves in the first half. The Sailfish entered the game as the highest-scoring team in the Sunshine State Conference averaging 2.7 goals per game, but they failed to break through in the opening half as the sides went into the locker room tied 0-0.

Shaw struck first in the second half as they broke on a counter-attack in the 49th minute. Their shot from the top of the box deflected off defender Twan Nieboer and went the opposite way that PBA goalie Albert Escuin had begun to dive. Coming off a home win over the No. 3 team in the country Lynn on Wednesday night, the Shaw goal woke up a Sailfish side that trailed for the first time in five games. 

It took just five minutes for the Sailfish to answer when Federico Serra scored from the penalty spot after a handball in the box off a cross. In the 68th minute, Bicho Barquin gave PBA the lead as the forward who is a regular off the Sailfish bench got on the end of a Tim Noeding through ball and his right-footed shot beat the goalie. Barquin was involved again just two minutes later when he headed an over-the-top through ball into the path of Fred Ferreira. Ferreira scored his team-leading sixth goal to put PBA in control with a 3-1 lead.

PBA went deeper into their bench with the lead and Luis Quintero scored the final goal of the game. Prince Owusu gathered the ball on the right-wing and played a ball into a streaking Quintero who's one-time shot found the back of the net. In a game that was uncomfortable for the Sailfish at times, they dominated the run of play, out possessing the Bears and outshooting Shaw 16-2 in the match.

The Sailfish return to SSC play for the remainder of the season. Up next, the 'Fish will travel to face Embry-Riddle on Oct. 20. The Eagles are 2-8-1 on the season and 1-4-1 in SSC play.