Homecoming weekend was less than a complete success for both the men's and women's soccer teams, with neither team winning both of their games over the course of the weekend.
The men's team started off their conference play on the right foot, defeating SUNY Potsdam 4-0. Sophomore Will Slevin started the scoring spree for the Knights as he booted a kick by junior Ben Ariola into the net at the 31 minutes, 26 seconds mark.
Senior Joey Mort added another point from close range as he found the back of the net off an assist from junior Yuta Shimizu. In the second period, sophomore Ian Mort started up the offense again for Geneseo, finding senior Jason Tartick from 16 yards out for the third goal of the day.
The Bears were overwhelmed defensively as the Knights put up eight shots on goal compared to only three for Potsdam. Sophomore Sam Murphy made three saves in the win while fellow sophomore John Piaggione scored the last goal of the day on a long pass from sophomore Colin Begy for the breakaway.
The second match of the weekend was a tough loss as Geneseo fell to rival Plattsburgh 1-0 in double-overtime. The Knights had opportunities to score but were unable to convert any of their five shots on goal. Junior Mike Madarasz made two saves in the loss. The Knights' record falls to 4-3-1 overall as they travel to SUNY Oneonta on Friday to continue conference play.
The women's team was on the road for both of their matches this past weekend. They traveled to Potsdam on Friday and played to a scoreless tie in triple-overtime. The game was not nearly as close as the final score suggests, as the Knights dominated on both sides of the ball. Geneseo fired off 16 shots compared to just two from Potsdam, though they failed to get a shot off in both of the last two overtimes.
Head coach Nate Wiley said he attributed the offense's inability to score to the change in surface conditions. "I think that playing on turf affected us a little bit," he said. "You need to be sharp and our touch was a little bit off." Junior goalie Katie Clerkin made two saves, playing the entire game.
Saturday, the Knights lost to No. 11 Plattsburgh 1-0 in overtime. "We played as well as we have all year for 99 minutes of that game against a team that's ranked 11th in the nation," Wiley said. He also noted that the Knights played without one of their starting defensive players.
Geneseo again had the advantage in shots and corner kicks but was unable to convert. Clerkin made two saves in the loss. Wiley made note of one save and said, "We didn't give our opponent a lot of opportunities and Katie was facing the sun and there was a shot just under the crossbar - she made a great effort and kept us in the game."
Up next for both teams is defending SUNYAC champion, Oneonta. The women will play them at home while the men will be away; both games are on Friday at 4 p.m.