WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team fell short tonight in a Sunshine State Conference match against the No. 25 ranked Florida Tech Panthers. The two sides played to an offensive shootout with the road side prevailing 4-3. The Sailfish fall to 5-5-2 overall with the defeat and 2-3-1 in conference play.
The two sides had chances in the opening minutes of the match, but it was the Panthers who struck first blood at the 9-minute mark when Fabio Amaral netted the opener. PBA's response was emphatic as eight minutes later,
Yannick Toth brought PBA level, converting a brilliant assist combo from
Tin Vastic and
Nicklas Clausen. The rest of the first half saw attempts from both teams but no additions to the scoreboard. PBA ended the first half with three shots, one on target, and four crucial saves by
Salvador Plaza. The first half ended with the two sides tied 1-1.
The second half began on a high note for the Panthers, with Sjur Drechsler converting a corner just two minutes in. Fabio Amaral of the Panthers added another, increasing the gap to 3-1 with an assist from Osvaldo Santana. However, the Sailfish weren't done fighting back as
Luke Imgrund found the net. Clausen and Bou Dalmau linked up on the edge of the box in the 69th minute and a pass across the box was finished by Imgrund to make the score 3-2. Unfortunately, the next goal was by the visitors just three minutes later to go up by two goals.
With time ticking away, PBA's
Alessandro Marongiu reduced the deficit with a goal assisted by
Hans Oeftger. In a climactic conclusion, PBA won several set-pieces, but couldn't find the elusive equalizer as they brought all of their numbers forward during the final seconds.
The second-half stats for PBA are reflective of their immense effort: 12 shots taken, three on target but they ran out of the time and fell 4-3.
Highlighting PBA's performance, Toth and Clausen were instrumental with three shots each. Goals for the Sailfish were credited to Toth, Marongiu, and Imgrund, showcasing their efforts and attitude.
The Sailfish return to action next week when they host Lynn in a conference clash. The two sides met earlier in the season in Boca Raton in a non-conference match with the Knights prevailing 2-0.
