After a winless weekend at home, the men's soccer team finished SUNYAC regular season play with a 5-3-1 record, falling to SUNY Plattsburgh 1-2 on Oct. 21 and tying with SUNY Potsdam 1-1 on Oct. 22. The team holds an 8-6-2 overall record.
Geneseo opened the match against Plattsburgh dominantly, controlling the ball and creating many early chances for scoring. In the 15th minute, senior James Hainsworth collected a through ball from junior Jop Smit then beat two defenders to put his team on the board.
A minute-and-a-half later, Plattsburgh retaliated to even the score at 1-1. Head coach Dominic Oliveri said that this goal "gave [Plattsburgh] more confidence."
Indeed, Plattsburgh quickly caught up to Geneseo's pace in possession and shots on the net. The Cardinals tallied their second goal in the 82nd minute off a rebound to secure the 2-1 win over the Knights. Senior Sam Murphy made four saves in taking the loss.
"Our team was making a lot of mental errors, which allowed the other team very easy opportunities on goal," Oliveri said. "After we gave up the goal, we didn't react well. We weren't able to meet their intensity."
The Knights kicked off the Potsdam match strongly as well, maintaining ball possession and generating many goal-scoring opportunities. Sophomore Ryan Yurchak opened the score for Geneseo in the 28th minute as he received a through ball from senior John Piaggione and slid the ball past the opposing keeper.
Potsdam immediately answered, scoring just 43 seconds later off a turnover from the Knights. Oliveri explained that his team was "not making good decisions with the ball" at that point of the game.
Physical, back-and-forth play accounted for most of the second half. Geneseo seemed to have been given the advantage in the 81st minute as a Potsdam forward was red-carded and sent off, and although the Knights outshot Potsdam throughout the half, regulation time ended at a tie.
Neither side could come up with a goal in two overtime sessions, and the teams finished with a 1-1 draw. Murphy posted four saves in goal for the Knights.
"We started off the game strong, but we got complacent on offense and became predictable. We should have taken more advantage of [the red card]," Oliveri said. "We are playing hard and creating a lot of chances. We're just not there mentally. If we can be in the games mentally, we have a real chance to win the whole thing."
Geneseo is seeded third in SUNYAC standings and hosts SUNY New Paltz in the first round of SUNYAC playoffs on Oct. 29.
Editor's Note:
The Knights finished their regular season with a tie against St. John Fisher College on Oct. 26. Seniors Ian Mort and Ken DiDonna scored for Geneseo.