KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Nov. 5, 2025) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's soccer team saw its postseason run come to an end on Wednesday night, as their strong second-half effort came up short 2-1 at home to St. Joseph's-Long Island in the Skyline Conference Semifinals at Bartoszek Field. The loss ends USMMA's season with a 12-4-3 overall record, while the Golden Eagles improve to 12-4-1 and advance to the Skyline Championship on Saturday.
Game Links
St. Joseph's got on the scoreboard first in the fifth minute. Sean Gordon took a pass inside the 18, weaved past the goalkeeper, and Jack Pulisic finished a loose ball from close range to give them a 1-0 lead. The visitors doubled their advantage in the 29th minute, as Devin Seara converted off a pass from Liam Mehmel that deflected off of Gordon to make it 2-0.
Merchant Marine came out firing in the second half and dictated the tempo throughout, outshooting St. Joseph's 12-6 and 22-13 overall in the match. Senior Drew Boukidis (Charlotte, N.C.) had the first opportunity to get the hosts on the board from outside the goal box in the 46th minute, but his right-footed blast hit the right post. Six seconds later, junior Patrick Novotny's (Fort Worth, Texas) point-blank opportunity was turned away on a defensive save by forward Ryan Kveton. Sophomore Robert Derwin (East Meadow, N.Y.) cut the deficit in half in the 51st minute, scoring his team-leading seventh goal of the season off an assist from freshman Jackson Justice (Winchester, Va.).
Novotny had one last chance to grab the equalizer in the 87th minute, but his shot just missed wide left of the net, and the Golden Eagles would hold on from there, winning it 2-1.
Junior goalkeeper Ethan Howell (Alexandria, Va.) made three saves in the defeat. Dean Burchard made seven stops for St. Joseph's, including four in the second half, to pick up the win.
The match marked the final appearance for USMMA's senior class, which helped guide the Mariners to double-digit wins for the second straight season.
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