On This Day in History | 1997

The ’97 Bears

On this day 21 years ago, the boys’ soccer team clipped Eastport, 2-1, in a key league match-up. Here is the account of the game from Newsday:

Alex Cunningham scored with 19:34 left in the second half to break a 1-1 tie and send Stony Brook past Eastport, 2-1, yesterday in a pivotal League VII boys’ soccer game. The win moved Stony Brook (7-3) into control of the final playoff spot with two games remaining, according to Bears coach David Church. Dave Schmidt tied the game at 1-1 when he scored three minutes into the second half for Eastport (5-6). James Miaritis gave the Bears a 1-0 lead on his goal with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. Justin Chase (eight saves) stopped a critical penalty shot by Schmidt with 10 seconds remaining in the first half, and the Bears still leading, 1-0. Eric Arizmendi made 10 saves for Eastport.

“It was a great game,” Church said. “Every 50-50 ball was contested. Both teams knew what was at stake. With that, I thought both teams played with great composure. You could really see the maturity by both teams this late in the season. It was a beautiful game.” The victory was sweet revenge for the Bears, who fell to Eastport, 2-1, Sept. 23, when Schmidt had two goals for the Ducks.

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