New York, New York – After a much-anticipated wait that spanned two years, ten months, and six days the Borough of Manhattan Community College men's soccer team finally got the opportunity to suit up in intercollegiate competition. The Panthers opened their season with a 1-0 road loss to Monroe-Bronx in Region 15 action on Thursday afternoon at Alan Skidelsky Field in New Rochelle, New York.
 
The Panthers got their best opportunity of the match to get on the board in the fourth minute as Michel Mendoza (Brooklyn, New York) took a fortuitous bounce from the top of the 18, dribbled into the penalty area, and blasted a left-foot shot that Express goalkeeper Alessio Pirrello denied.
 
After freshman forward Ademola Opesanwo (Bronx, New York) got BMCC out of trouble in the seventh minute, Monroe-Bronx was able to open the scoring when Denis Schmidt uncorked a sizzling shot from 20 yards out that pinballed into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Monroe-Bronx controlled the play the rest of the match, taking their one-goal advantage into halftime after outshooting BMCC 12-4. The Express locked down the Panther offense the rest of the game in the second half outshooting BMCC 19-9 overall en route to their first shutout of the season.
 
The afternoon affair was a physical one with 22 combined fouls, with each team recording 11 apiece.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Abdul Mumin Seidu (Bronx, New York) made five stops on the afternoon for the Panthers, and Pirrello picked up his first clean sheet of the season with a game-high seven saves for the Express.
 
The Panthers will look to get their first win of the 2022 campaign in their home and conference opener on Tuesday, September 13, against CUNYAC opponent Bronx Community College at 12:30 p.m. For more information, please visit the BMCC Men's Soccer Schedule Page.
 

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The athletic program at Borough of Manhattan Community College encompasses a total of eight varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. For the latest news on the Panthers, please visit us at https://bmccathletics.com - The official site of BMCC Athletics. Follow the Panthers on Instagram (@bmcc_athletics) and Twitter (@BMCCAthletics), and Like Us on Facebook (BMCC Athletics).