Gators Chomp Eagles in Overtime, 4-3

Patchogue, N.Y.—Danzi Stadium was buzzing with excitement on Saturday as the Golden Eagles (1-8) took on the Sage Gators (3-3-1) in their first Skyline Conference match of the season.  The suspenseful back-and-forth game undoubtedly left fans with shorter nail beds but unfortunately ended in favor of the visitors, as a Gator goal in overtime left the Eagles with a stunning 4-3 loss.

Sage started off the scoring 30 minutes into the first half, but St. Joseph's was quick to answer as Terrance Dzus (Central Islip, N.Y./ Islip) expertly headed the ball into the net, assisted by a header from teammate Brian O'Sullivan (Manorville, N.Y./ Eastport-South Manor), only minutes later.  

The Eagles were surely using their head that afternoon as Fabio Alves (Holbrook, N.Y./ Sachem East) put the home team in the lead at 57:06 with a header off of an assist from Andrew Stasiewicz (Mount Sinai, N.Y./ Mount Sinai).

Sage tied it up at 82:25 but with less than five minutes left in regulation, Alves dug deep, took on two Sage defenders and won, finding the back of the net and seemingly putting the Golden Eagles in line for a victory.

Less than 20 seconds later however, Sage was awarded a penalty kick after an Eagles foul was committed in their own box.  The Gators subsequently converted the free kick opportunity into a goal, effectively sending the game into overtime. Sage scored the game winning goal at 97:40.

Despite the devastating defeat, the Golden Eagles undoubtedly put on an excellent performance. St. Joseph's goalie Niko Petratos (North Babylon, N.Y./ North Babylon) saved four out of eight shots on goal.

The Golden Eagles will travel to Maritime on Friday for a 7 p.m. match in an attempt to even out their Skyline Conference record.