BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The newly minted NCAA Division III Pratt Institute played its first-ever contest against a Division I opponent as the men's soccer team battled borough foe St. Francis Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Despite the 7-0 defeat, the experience of playing the Division I opponent was memorable one.
"What a fantastic, historic experience for our men's soccer student-athletes," remarked head coach Stavros Zomopoulos. "The first Pratt team to compete in an official contest against an NCAA D1 program and it was fun watching them compete with our illustrious neighbors."
The host Terriers (6-3-1) built a 3-0 lead by the 12th minute but the Cannoneers (0-8-2) held the 2021 Northeast Conference runner-up scoreless for nearly 20 minutes with goalie Carter Tillman making three stops in the span.
Despite facing a 6-0 deficit at intermission, the Cannoneers battled over the final 45 and nearly assembled a second-half clean sheet – withstanding a 17-0 shot discrepancy – before allowing the lone goal of the period with just over seven minutes to play. Taking the goal in the second half, keeper Dimitrios Papagiannakopoulos made seven saves. Tillman finished with nine saves in the first half.
Next up for the black and gold, Pratt hosts Clarks Summit University on Saturday, October 8 in a 2:30 p.m. contest at Randall's Island Field 74.
