Men's Soccer | 10/25/2017 5:46:00 PM

Box Score New York, NY | The stage was set on Wednesday afternoon for the top seeded BMCC Panthers to take on the #4 Suffolk Sharks in the Region XV Semifinals. After coming back from a two goal deficit in regulation time and going the length of two overtime periods without conceding a goal, the Panthers playoff hopes would come down to a penalty kick shootout. The Sharks came away with a 5-3 advantage in the shootout round to advance to the regional finals and end the Panthers perfect season.

Following a defensive battle for much of the first half, Suffolk would gain momentum heading into halftime with a goal in the 44^th minute, then came out of the break and scored again to claim a 2-0 lead. It appeared the Panthers team had just ran out of gas after a long, successful season, but the BMCC coaching staff would not let the players hang their heads. With time running out, defensive midfielder Brian Ampaw lobbed a through ball over the head of the Sharks centerback to allow Deschanel Goulbourne to snap the scoring drought and ignite the BMCC bench with a well-placed shot just past outstretched hands the Suffolk goalkeeper. Minutes later, Lucas Musse took a corner kick and found El Hadji Badji in the box for a header into the back of the net. With the opponents on their heels, the Panthers did not let up, striking shot after shot at the goal but coming up empty, and the match would head to overtime. In the first period of sudden-death overtime, the Panthers outshot their opponents 6-1 but once again could not find the elusive golden goal. Suffolk appeared content in letting the time run out during the second overtime, playing a heavily defensive formation and lobbing passes out to midfield when they gained possession, as a result neither side recorded a shot for the remainder of overtime. In the penalty shootout, the Sharks shot first and gained and advantage to sneak away from Pier 40 with a 2-2 (5-3) victory.

This match marks the end to a perfect 12-0 run for the Panthers during the 2017 campaign. Though the loss was heartbreaking for every player on the field, the future looks bright for BMCC soccer as a majority of the roster will be eligible to return next season.