KINGS POINT, N.Y. — 

The Coast Guard Academy men's soccer team fell to their rivals from Kings Point for the first time in ten years on Friday night, with an 88th minute penalty kick elevating Merchant Marine to a 2-1 win.

Coast Guard moves to 2-2-1, while the Mariners improves to 3-2-1. Merchant Marine will play their next game on Wednesday, September 17th, hosting St. Joseph's Long Island for their Skyline Conference opener at 7 p.m. The win also evens up the race for the Superintendents' Cup, with both schools now holding two points each.

It took just 30 seconds for the first shot of the game to be played, coming by way of Kings Point's Andrew Jung, but the shot was blocked by Naveen Jayaram (Tampa, Fla.) and went out after ricocheting off of a Mariners defender. Kings Point was aggressive early on, and it was rewarded in the eighth minute when a shot by Andrew Campbell was saved on a dive by Jack Putnam (Halfmoon, N.Y.) before Jung took advantage with a tap into the bottom left corner while the Bears' goalie was on the ground.

The goal was the first at home for Kings Point during the rivalry since 2015, but the celebration for the midshipmen in the stands was short lived. Playing just his second game of the season due to a lingering injury, Nick Yorgason (Pleasant View, Utah) made an immediate impact. The sophomore braced bumps from a pair of physical Kings Pointers before escaping and sending an excellent cross from the right side into the box, where team captain Aki Freeman (San Diego, Calif.) redirected it into the top left corner with an equally excellent header.

The rest of the half was not without some excellent opportunities for both sides. A 16th-minute free kick for Kings Point nearly went in off a redirection by Jung but missed wide. Later on, in the 23rd, Jung attempted a high, curving free kick which was easily saved by Putnam, earning a frustrated reaction by the midshipman.

Freeman attempted to get his first brace of the season in the 34th after dribbling up the middle of the field through the Mariners' defense, but his shot attempt was blocked by Jackson Justice, who proved to be a thorn in Coast Guard's side in the backfield for the entire night. Another great opportunity for the Bears presented itself after Eric Howard (Dunkirk, Md.) drew a foul right in front of the box in the 43rd minute, but his subsequent free kick attempt went wide left.

At halftime, Merchant Marine held a 7-5 advantage in shots taken with a 4-2 lead in shots on goal. The game through the first 45 minutes mirrored a classic rivalry match-up in terms of physicality, as Kings Point was called for nine of the combined 14 fouls. The chippy atmosphere carried over to the second, and Merchant Marine was the first to be punished for it as Michael Hofstetter was awarded with the first yellow card of the match due to a hard foul in the 48th minute.

Alongside their physical aggression, Kings Point maintained their offensive attack while playing lockdown defense to limit the Bears to just two shots in the half. Freeman had the best of those two, with his attempt from the front of the box foiled again by Justice. Kings Point was given their second card of the game in the 65th, awarded this time to Campbell, while Coast Guard's first card was given to Freeman in the 73rd.

Despite the hard play from Merchant Marine, Coast Guard looked as if they'd outlast their rivals and head home with a draw. Justice was called for a yellow card in the 85th, but the drama would reach its climax in the 88th when a hard defensive play in the Bears' box was met with a whistle, setting up a penalty kick for the Mariners. The hosts sent Drew Boukidis to the spot, who lined up his shot and sent it past Putnam to give his team the late lead and cause the Mariners faithful in the stands to storm the corner of the pitch he had run to. Coast Guard was unable to rally for the last-second equalizer, sealing a 1-2 defeat.

Merchant Marine outshot the Bears, 17-7, by the games' end, also holding the 6-3 lead in shots on goal and shutting out their guests on the corners, 5-0. Both teams were called for a combined 24 fouls, with the Mariners holding the edge at 13. 

Putnam made four saves in his second effort of the season.

Bears men's soccer will look to bounce back on Tuesday, September 16th, when they host Worcester State University at 6 p.m. The two teams met for the first time last season in New London, with the Bears scoring three times in the shutout win, with Freeman scoring twice.