The Berkeley College New Jersey men's soccer team saw its quest for a National championship come to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Knights were defeated by the Conquistadors of Florida National by a score of 6-0 at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex in Virginia Beach, VA. The defeat was the second suffered by the Knights in as many days, as Berkeley had also dropped a contest to Dean a day earlier.
Berkeley College capped its historic season at 10-8, while Florida National won its 16th consecutive match to improve to 16-1 on the year. The win by the Conquistadors advanced them to the semifinal round of the National tournament tomorrow, as they'll take on the University of Maine at Fort Kent tomorrow at 4:00pm. Dean College was also eliminated for championship contention with the Conquistadors' victory.
The Knights hung tough for the opening 15 minutes of play, but Florida National soon began to put on an offensive clinic. The Conquistadors' first goal came at the 15:36 mark, as Onezimo Francisco scored on a penalty shot following a hard foul in the box. That gave Florida National a 1-0 lead. A little over four minutes later, Pedro Vega deflected home a pass from Gabriel Barbosa to give his team a 2-0 advantage. Two more goals – one by Nicolas Micoli, and another by Vega (both assisted by Francisco) gave Florida National a commanding 4-0 edge as the teams broke for halftime.
In the second half, the Conquistadors continued to find the net, as Florida National convincingly pulled away from the Knights. Tomas Crespi collected a gorgeous lead pass from Gabriel Miranda before blasting the ball home to give his team a 5-0 lead (at 56:14). Bruno Pietrobelli rounded-out the scoring for the Conquistadors, netting a goal at 65:16 to push Florida National's edge to six goals at 6-0.
Despite the loss for the Knights, Robert Parker hung tough, as he collected 18 saves. Maco Sordi and Lucas Reges combined for a shutout for Florida National, as neither goaltender faced a shot on the day. In what was a very physical contest, the Knights committed 18 fouls compared to 14 by the opposition.
Even in defeat, it cannot be ignored the determination and grit that was exemplified by the Knights this season. In what was a first in the history of the New Jersey men's soccer program, the Knights qualified for the USCAA National Men's Soccer Tournament following a stellar 10-6 mark (that record was amplified by a winning streak of six matches in September and a stretch of three consecutive victories in October). Berkeley College will look to build on this good showing this season when the 2017 campaign rolls around in August.
