Box Score

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team's season came to a close Sunday at LIU Field as the Blackbirds were defeated by St. Francis Brooklyn, 4-0, in the annual Battle of Brooklyn. 

Despite the loss, the Blackbirds finished the 2013 season with three more wins than the previous year, and tied for fifth in the conference with the 2012 NEC Champions, Fairleigh Dickinson, to move up six spots from last year.

The Terriers held the 18-8 shot advantage, and took hold of the game early with two back-to-back goals with less than five minutes into the match. The game was one of the most physical of the season, with 31 total fouls, six yellow cards and a team red card on St. Francis Brooklyn.

Harry Odell scored the first goal of the game in the third minute on an assist from Kevin Correa, before Gabriel Bagot struck for the Terriers again 23 seconds later to establish an early 2-0 lead. Correa then had another opportunity two minutes later, but redshirt freshman Logan Keys made a diving save to preserve the score.

The Blackbirds quickly battled back to regain posession for the nine minutes, as sophomore midfielder Nahuel Medina took the first shot of the day for LIU in the 12th minute. The Blackbirds kept the ball down on the Terriers side of the field, and had a couple of chances when junior forward Brice Merwine took a corner kick at the 19 minute mark. Junior defender Tyler Draovitch then took a long shot, but the ball was high.

Merwine took another corner kick 30 seconds later, but Nahuel Medina's shot was wide. Freshman defender Kevin Lockhart took another shot for the Blackbirds in the 27th minute.

Merwine and sophomore midfielder Tanner Sica scurried to get chances in toward the end of the first half, but both shots were high, as the Blackbirds headed into the locker room down 0-2.

The second half started out much like the first, as Correa was able to break away in the 47th minute and chase the ball down the center before taking a shot from 30 yards out that sailed above Keys for the Terriers' third goal of the day.

St. Francis Brooklyn continued the offensive onslaught, doubling its shots from the first half with 12 total. They were able to convert again in the 62nd minute as Viktor Bakkioui took an unassisted shot near the front of the goal. 

LIU was only able to find two shots in the second half, from sophomore midfielder Brian Alumbaugh  in the 63rd minute, and then Merwine near the end.

Keys finished with four saves on the day to bring his season total to 53.