The Bronx Broncos saw their three-match winning streak come to an end Thursday afternoon, falling to the Senators of SUNY Ulster by a score of 5-2 at Ohio Field in the Bronx.
SUNY Ulster established control early, scoring three times in the opening half to take a commanding 3-0 advantage into the intermission. Caleb Nicolas opened the scoring at the 7:56 mark, finishing a setup from Luc Saguilan. Chase Steiner doubled the Senators' lead at 25:00 off an assist from Matt Urquia before Nicolas struck again at 29:39, with Steiner and Oleh Shulha credited with assists on the play.
The Senators extended their advantage early in the second half when Shulha found the back of the net at 53:45, converting a pass from Nicolas to make it 4-0.
The Broncos responded just over four minutes later. At 58:04, David Santa put Bronx on the scoreboard, finishing a feed from Leiver Palacio to cut the deficit to three goals.
Ulster answered quickly, however, as Nicolas converted a penalty kick at 59:21 to complete his hat trick and restore the Senators' four-goal cushion at 5-1.
Santa provided another bright spot for the Broncos at 63:06, recording his second goal of the afternoon. The forward capitalized on a passing sequence involving Fnu Eselecha Ndemalalue and Hanif Soule, bringing the score to 5-2.
Despite the late push, Bronx was unable to close the gap further as the Senators held on for the road victory.
Santa led the Broncos offensively with two goals, while Palacio and Ndemalalue each recorded an assist. The Broncos finished with 15 shots, including seven on target, and earned two corner kicks. Goalkeeper Joshua Sanchez made two saves during the opening half, while Ramon Caldera added four saves after entering at halftime.
Bronx will look to rebound Tuesday afternoon when the Broncos travel to Barrett Field in Valhalla, N.Y., to take on the Vikings of Westchester Community College. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
