WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team and Rollins College played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Rinker Athletic Campus.
The Sailfish leveled the match in the second half with a late goal by
Juan Hermoso with less than two minutes left to play. Hermoso's goal led to the tie which finished an undefeated conference season for the Sailfish. PBA also finishes the regular season undefeated against NCAA Division II opponents. PBA was awarded its SSC regular season championship trophy after the match.
The first half began with PBA establishing an early offensive presence. Livio Von Holzen registered the initial shot for the 'Fish just over a minute into play. Despite creating opportunities, their attempts, including those from
Marian Rutkowski and
Marko Borovic, were unable to convert into goals.
RC took advantage of a brief defensive lapse when Jordan Poroux scored in the 16th minute, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. This scoreline held as both teams continued to exchange shots and fouls. The Sailfish closed the half with a shot from Von Holzen, which was saved, maintaining the 1-0 deficit heading into the break.
The second half initially saw both the 'Fish and the Tars testing each other's defenses without significant breakthroughs. The Sailfish kept up the pressure with multiple attempts on goal, notably with Rutkowski and Von Holzen creating chances early in the half.
As the half advanced, the Sailfish continued to press forward, with Hermoso finding the back of the net in the 88th minute. Hermoso converted on the goal after a pass from
Flavio Giannini found the head of
Marko Borovic, deflecting the ball to Hermoso. Hermoso's shot beat the keeper and bounced off the crossbar for the equalizing goal. The half concluded with the 'Fish maintaining a draw, successfully countering RC's earlier lead.
Giannini recorded three saves and added an assist during the match. Hermoso scored once, finishing with two points from his single shot on goal. Von Holzen contributed offensively with four shots, including one on goal. Rutkowski also pressured the defense with four shots, one of which was on goal.
The Sailfish have clinched the No. 1 seed in the SSC tournament. They will host round one on Monday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. against Florida Southern.
