WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team faced off in a postseason matchup, competing against Rollins in the first round of the Sunshine State Conference tournament.
The Sailfish entered the match as the sixth seed in the tournament, traveling to take on the Tars, who held the No. 3 seed. The 'Fish found the back of the net first, but Rollins answered with a pair of goals at the tail end of the first half to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room. PBA failed to bounce back, surrendering a pair of goals, including a penalty kick in the second half. The Sailfish fell to the Tars, 4-1.
Agustin Iusem scored the lone goal for the Sailfish. 30 minutes into the contest,
Harry Gardner sent a ball forward for Iusem, who used his speed to burst by the Rollins defender and finish with his right foot. Iusem's goal ties him with four team-leading goals. Gardner notched his team-best seventh assist on the play.
After a free kick from PBA, the Tars answered with a counterattack. A PBA defender got tripped up, creating an opening for Rollins. Two quick passes set up an easy look at goal for Rollins, converting to make it 1-1. Less than two minutes later, Rollins took the lead in the match. A deflected shot bounced right to a Tar in the box, who took one touch around the PBA goalkeeper and scored on an empty net to take a 2-1 lead before halftime.
20 minutes into the second half, Rollins earned a corner kick. PBA's
Jake Strachan was called for a foul and earned a yellow card in the box on the corner attempt, resulting in a penalty kick for Rollins. The Tars scored on the penalty to extend their lead to 3-1.
With 15 minutes remaining, the Sailfish had a free-kick opportunity outside the box. Narcis Bou Dalmou's strike at the ball beat the goalkeeper but connected with the crossbar, keeping the game 3-1. The Tars put the punctuation on the game, scoring one last goal, using speed to beat the Sailfish defense to take a 4-1 lead.
The Tars outshot PBA 19-10 in the match.
Omar Einarsson made six saves.
Tin Vastic led the Sailfish attack with three shots, one on goal.
The loss ends PBA's men's soccer season. The Sailfish finish with an overall record of 6-6-3.
