THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College men's soccer team (4-5-2, 3-2-2 Skyline) extended its unbeaten streak to four straight with a 4-1 triumph over Old Westbury (4-7-1, 3-4-0 Skyline) at Reinhart Field on Friday night.
Jeferson Blanco (San Pedro Sula, Honduras) recorded his first career hat trick in the win.
After a flurry of early shots by the Privateers, the Panthers broke through for the game's first goal in the 17
th minute. Johan Gran had his attempt saved before corralling his own rebound and heading it in to give Old Westbury a 1-0 lead.
Jack Young (Floral Park, NY) nearly leveled the score in the 41
st minute, but his shot was played off the goal line by the Panthers' defense. Maritime then earned a penalty kick when
Carson Sadler (Gilford, NH) was taken down on a breakaway in the 42
nd minute. Blanco stepped up and nailed the PK to send the teams into halftime even at 1-1.
In the 53
rd minute, Blanco put the Privateers in front when his header found the back of the net.
Georgios Tsatalios (Athens, Greece) increased the advantage to 3-1 with his blast from just outside the box in the 67
th minute. Blanco then netted his third off an 82
nd-minute feed from
Yakob Muller (Mineola, NY). It was the first hat trick by a Maritime player since Christopher Tavernese against Webb Institute on Aug. 30, 2019.
Blanco, who has scored five of the Privateers' six goals in their last two games, now has eight on the season. Tsatalios notched his third tally of the year, and his first since Sept. 19 against St. Joseph's Brooklyn. Muller, meanwhile, had three assists in the victory. Privateers goalkeeper
Aidan Slovensky (Manorville, NY) (4-5-2) made a pair of saves.
Gran's goal was his eighth this year for Old Westbury. Three different Panthers saw action in net. Starter Paul DeGennaro recorded two saves in 42 minutes. Andy Chacho (1-5-0) took the loss after notching three saves and allowing three goals in 27 minutes. Stratos Mehalakes played the last 22 minutes, stopping four shots and giving up one goal.
On Monday, Maritime concludes its non-conference schedule with a 1 p.m. matchup against Lehman (2-3-4). The contest, which will serve as a Lightning home game, will be played at Reinhart Field.
