Hosting SUNY ESF in a non-region contest Friday night, the Tompkins Cortland Community College men's soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with Mighty Oaks. The Panthers are now 1-0-1 on the season and ESF is 0-1-1.
The Panthers came out on the attack, drawing a penalty kick in the first minute of the game. The PK sailed over the cross bar, but the home team kept the pressure the rest of the half and finally broke through in the 42nd minute. Mathew Uparela (Queens/Riverside H.S.) pushed the ball up the field, getting a quality shot on goal that the ESF keeper wasn't able to control, letting Kytrell Stroman (Elmira/Elmira H.S.) deposit the rebound into the net for a 1-0 lead. The advantage into the last third of the game, thanks in large part to a diving save by Tompkins Cortland keeper Jeremy McGrath (Henderson Harbor/Belleville Henderson H.S.) ten minutes into the second half. In the 66th minute, an ESF attack resulted in a foul in the box, and when ESF converted, the game was tied at 1-1. The Panthers had a solid chance a few minutes later when Adin Philips (Perth, Scotland/Grammar H.S.) played a long ball into the box, finding Stroman for a header on goal. A great save by the ESF keeper kept the score locked, and when neither team could find the net the rest of the way, the game ended with a draw.
McGrath finished with three saves in his first action of the season.
Looking ahead
The Panthers return to NJCAA play with a home game against Erie Community College Wednesday.