NEW YORK, NY – Pratt Institute men's soccer played one of their more impressive game in defeat, as they fell to the Patriots of Valley Forge University, 3-2, in non-conference action at Randall's Island Sunday evening.
Defense set the tone early, as attacking chances were limited by both squad. Pratt would finally break through just before half, as Michael South gained seperation via a solo run and beat the goalkeeper 1-on-1 in the 44th minute to give Pratt a 1-0 lead.
As was the case in the first half, the first 20 minutes of the second was slow moving and heavy on good defensive soccer. The Patriots would tie the score in the 64th minute, following Colton Swan's goal off the cross from Samuel Jere.
Pratt would answer almost immediately.
After being awarded a corner kick, junior Juan Gomez sent in a beautiful ball that was headed home by Michael South in the 66th minute. Valley Forge would respond in the 74th minute, as Swan's second goal of the match leveled the score at 2-2. The clincher would come 10 minute before time, as Swan completed his hat trick and gave the visiting Patriots the 3-2 win.
For the match, Michael South's brace gave the freshman eight goals in six matches on the season. In goal, freshman Jack Foster showed his potential by recording five saves in his first collegiate start.
Looking ahead to a key conference game against King's College next Friday, coach Jonas Worth talked about Pratt's opponent and how his team matches up.
"They will be aggressive and be fast. It's going to be very important that we keep up with the speed of the game, and if we do, we'll be very competitive."
Up Next: The Cannoneers travel to New Jersey for a conference show down with the Lions of King's College on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 pm.
