Blackbirds men’s soccer miss playoffs, but poised for a big season next year
As the final seconds ticked off the clock and LIU Brooklyn’s season was officially over, Jacob Smith looked up to the scoreboard that read 4-0, pointed and told all of his teammates to look up at it too. He felt horrible and it was a feeling that he didn’t want to relive again.
“Obviously everyone was deflated, but Jacob pointed to the scoreboard and told everyone to look at the score,” Blackbirds’ head coach TJ Kostecky said. ”He said, ‘When we practice, we have to remember this from now on and we have to change it in the future.’ That’s leadership.”
The Blackbirds were just one win away from a playoff spot that looked unlikely when they opened the season with a 1-6-1 record. Somehow, they turned the season around though and went 4-1-1 to get back into the hunt and they were one win away with one game left. On that final game of the season, St. Francis College, their rivals from Brooklyn Heights, beat them 4-0 on their own field to eliminate them from contention.