New York, New York - The BMCC men's soccer team exploded for five unanswered goals to upend undefeated and NJCAA Division III No. 8 nationally ranked Westchester Community College, 5-1 at Pier 40 on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers defeated their third nationally ranked opponent of the season, improving their record to 8-3-1 (7-3-1 Region XV), while the Vikings fell to 8-1-3 (8-1-3 Region XV).

The Panthers have outscored their opponents 14-4 during their four-game unbeaten streak and have scored five goals for the second straight match.

The Panthers had the first opportunity to get on the score sheet as freshman Salim Anas (Bronx, New York) had a golden point-blank opportunity in the ninth minute but blasted it over the crossbar. The Vikings grabbed the first marker of the match in the 18th minute as Francesco Giglio took advantage of an overplay by BMCC freshman goalkeeper El Momar Coundoul (Bronx, New York) and ripped a shot into the low right pocket of the empty net to give Westchester the 1-0 lead.

BMCC kept battling, and then a Westchester Community College handball awarded them a penalty kick in the 21st minute to even the match up at one. Freshman Sebastien George (Brooklyn, New York) wasted no time blasting his attempt into the low left pocket of the net to tie the match. The deluge of goals would continue from the Panthers from there.

BMCC grabbed the lead for good in the 23rd minute when freshman Bangaly Soumahoro's (New York, New York) gorgeous left-footed cross found the head of classmate Clovens Loussaint (Brooklyn, New York), who directed it over Vikings goalkeeper Jonathan Bautista's head to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Loussaint notched his second of the match in the 29th minute when he took a pass from Edwin Santos (Brooklyn, New York) and unloaded a beautifully placed right-footed blast from inside the 18 to give BMCC a 3-1 lead going into halftime.

The Panthers kept the pressure on in the second half, grabbing two more goals from George, who had completed his first career hat trick. George grabbed a Loussaint feed and sent a left-footed roller into the low right pocket of the net in the 58th minute, extending the lead to 4-1. George picked up the sombrero in the 77th minute in highlight-reel fashion. Sophomore Nikola Ivkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) ballooned a beautiful ball past midfield that George took, weaving past one defender and faking the goalie out of his shoes before tapping the ball with his left foot into an empty net to give the Panthers a decisive 5-1 victory.

Coundoul picked up the victory for the Panthers, while Bautista took the loss for the Vikings.

The Panthers will look to capture three consecutive CUNY Championships next Sunday, October 20, against Queensborough Community College at Kingsborough Athletics Field in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit the BMCC Men's Soccer Schedule.  
 

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The athletic program at Borough of Manhattan Community College encompasses a total of 13 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. Also, become a follower of the Panthers on Instagram (@bmcc_athletics) and Twitter (@BMCCAthletics), and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (BMCC Athletics).