Box Score

Garden City, N.Y. – The men's soccer team dropped their first Northeast-10 Conference contest of the season after falling 2-1 to Merrimack on Garden City Soccer Night. Despite the late offensive push in the latter minutes of the game, the visitors were able to hold off the charging Panthers which sets Adelphi's record at 1-2, 0-1 NE-10 while Merrimack now sits at 2-1-1, 0-1 NE-10.
 
It was a very physical affair as shown through the referee handing out three yellow cards and a calling a total of 28 fouls between the two teams. The Brown and Gold managed 10 shots on the evening with four of them coming in the first half.  Meanwhile, the Warriors took just seven shots with all of them coming in the final 45 minutes.
 
A shotless Merrimack in the first, came out of the second and made their first attempt on goal count. A simple tap pass from Ryan Miller to teammate Searl Douglas resulted in the 1-0 lead. Less than eight minutes later, the Warriors further cushioned their lead after Joseph Briers fired a shot that deflected off the post. However, Douglas was there once again as he found the back of the net for the second time in the game.
 
Playing from a two-goal deficit, the Panthers kept at it and began transitioning from playing defensive soccer to attacking and pressing the visitor's defense. A late foul in the 85^th minute resulted in a free kick for the Panthers from about 25 yards out. Taken by sophomore Alejandro Penzini, he sent in a low shot that sailed through a Merrimack wall of defenders and hit inside the right post for Adelphi's first goal; Penzini's third of the season.
 
Despite pressing hard in the final five minutes, the Warriors withstood the last second offensive threats. Penzini accounted for four shots with teammate Juan Aguiar registering two of his own. Jordan HIbbert, Michael Guerra, Diego Zuniga, and Caelan Hueber all were credited with one shot each.
 
Ahmad Salamah, in his 2013 debut, suffered the loss as he made two saves in the game.
 
Coach's Thoughts on the Game
"Merrimack is an extremely well coached and patient team," described Head Coach Carlo Acquista. "All the credit to Tony Martone on their preparation and execution tonight. We must learn from this match and quickly prepare for AIC on Wednesday."
 
Up Next
The Panthers will host American International College in a Northeast-10 Conference Contest on Motamed Field at 7pm on Wednesday, September 18. If you can't be at the game, Live Stats will be available as well as a live webcast.