WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team hit the road tonight to take on Sunshine State Conference opponent Eckerd College. In a near must-win game for the Sailfish, they surrendered a goal as time expired to fall 3-2 on the night. Their record drops to 5-7-2 on the season and 2-5-1 in SSC play.

The Sailfish looked sluggish early in a crucial spot to keep their conference tournament hopes alive. The Tritons hit the post within the opening 20 seconds, but PBA couldn't keep dodging bullets as Eckerd scored in the 12th minute. A counterattack six minutes later saw the home side score again as a PBA turnover was capitalized on to make the score 2-0 inside of 20 minutes. The 'Fish had already looked like they had got their footing on the game after the opening goal but they really found the upper hand after the second. 

Yannick Toth scored a free kick on the edge of the box, his fifth goal of the season, to get PBA back into the game in the 30th minute. The Sailfish trailed 2-1 at the half but outshot Eckerd 5-2 in shots on target. 

PBA was threatening in the second half but 15 minutes in, their hopes took a big hit when defender Rufus Roth was sent off for a straight red card. He was called for a foul with the Eckerd keeper on a cross into the box but there appeared to be minimal contact for a sending-off. Nevertheless, the Sailfish tied the game down a man in the 67th minute when Tin Vastic found the back of the net for the third time this season. 

The 'Fish continued to press forward in the need of the winning goal which left them open on the back end. Omar Einarsson was able to make four saves on the night, including some big ones late to keep PBA hopes alive. The game came down to the final minutes as PBA poured bodies forward. A late break fell through as Toth was unable to pull the trigger on an open shot near the penalty area as he seemed to get a foot stuck in the turf or on the ball. Moments later the Sailfish hit the left post and the Tritons returned the favor by hitting a post on the ensuing counterattack. As time trickled down, a final Eckerd 3-1 break was put home as time expired to give the home side all three points on their senior night.

The Sailfish have two games remaining on the season as they host Saint Leo on Oct. 31 and head to Embry-Riddle on Nov. 3. PBA currently sits six spots out of the final SSC Tournament spot but with two wins and help around them, they still have a window to make the postseason.