(Garden City, NY) - With a five-game unbeaten streak heading into Wednesday's NJCAA Region XV Men's Soccer Semifinals, it was going to take a lot to stop the Westchester Community College Men's Soccer team from advancing to compete for their first-ever Region XV Championship. Unfortunately for Westchester, their opponent on Wednesday was 'a lot.' What it took to bring the Westchester season to an end was the #1 team in the country as top-seeded Nassau Community College defeated the fifth-seeded Vikings 3-0 on a windy afternoon at Mitchel Field in Garden City, New York.

With the loss, Westchester ends a tremendous soccer season with a 10-4-2 overall record.

It was a game that was far closer than the final score indicated as Nassau CC, the nation's third highest scoring team, was unable to penetrate the stout Viking defense until well into the second half. Thanks to an incredible 13-save effort by freshman goalkeeper Guilherme Griza (Novo Hamburgo-RS (Brazil)/Colegio Marista Pio XII), the teams were tied 0-0 at halftime, and the score remained that way until the final 20 minutes of play.
 

However, as they have done all season long, Nassau (16-1, 10-0 Region XV) used their quick-strike offense to put Westchester away late in the game. The Lions scored at 70:00 to take a 1-0 lead, and forcing the Vikings to press to attempt a tie. The effort provided Nassau with several late scoring opportunities, and the Lions scored in the 77th minute and 88th minute for the 3-0 final. Nassau CC advances to Saturday's Region XV Championship Game where they will host second-seeded Suffolk Community College. The Lions and Sharks will meet for the Region XV crown for the sixth consecutive season, and eighth time since 2009.

For the 2018 season, Westchester CC featured one of the best defensive teams in the nation, allowing a total of 19 goals over 16 games. Eight of those goals were allowed to Nassau Community College during two games.

The loss marks the end of one of the best soccer seasons in Westchester CC history. The Vikings broke the 10-win mark for the first time since 2015, spent two weeks ranked in the top-10 in the nation, and won their fourth consecutive Mid-Hudson Conference Championship under first-year Head Coach Alfio Carrabotta. With an outstanding nucleus set to return, and a full year for the coaching staff to recruit, the program has high hopes moving forward.