Geneseo's men's soccer team traveled to SUNY Plattsburgh this past weekend where they lost to the eventual SUNYAC champion, Brockport, by a score of 1-0.
Friday's match was a meeting of the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the conference, with Brockport earning the higher seeding thanks to a 7-2-0 conference record. Each team played strong on both sides of the ball until Brockport finished on a header 33 minutes into the first half.
The Knights put forth a strong effort in the second half, pressuring Brockport's defense but never getting the equalizer. They came close on one occasion, forcing Brockport's goalie to make a point-blank save off a header, which would have tied the match in dramatic fashion.
Hindering Geneseo in their efforts were the absences of two key defenders, senior Joey Mort and sophomore Matt Solimano.
Earlier in the season, Geneseo beat Brockport in a similar 1-0 game. In fact, only three of the Knights' 18 games this season were decided by more than one goal, a statistic that head coach Michael Mooney said illustrates the "nature of soccer." With so few scoring opportunities in comparison with other sports, the difference between winning and losing is often only shown in the final score, hiding all the missed opportunities and chances.
Mooney added that while it is frustrating to lose a game that easily could have went the other way, he is proud of the effort his team put in and noted that the Knights did all they could to win the game.
Headed into the second half down only one goal, Mooney said he told his players to "leave everything on the field and step it up for the second half," adding that "they definitely did that."
Despite the praise he gave to his team, Mooney expressed his disappointment in losing to Brockport. "If you're happy with just competing you're not really competing," he said.
With that in mind, the team will look to build on the accomplishments of this season, cope with the graduation of five seniors and try to bring in new athletes that will contribute to the team to help them succeed next year.
The Knights finished their season with a record of 9-7-2.