The Geneseo men’s soccer team split a pair of games against SUNY Oswego and SUNY Cortland on Oct. 17 and Saturday Oct. 18, dropping the first game then coming back to defeat Cortland the next day. The Knights were unable to find the back of the net throughout the weekend, tallying just one goal. The team is currently fourth in the SUNYAC standings and is in position to make the SUNYAC tournament. The Knights kicked off the weekend against fifth-place Oswego. Despite their superior record, the Knights were unable to vanquish the Lakers. Head coach Dominic Oliveri said that he was disappointed that his team was not able to make a mark on the score sheet.
“We held the ball in possession on our side of the field most of the game,” he said. “It’s disappointing to hold the ball in possession for that long and not score. We just couldn’t get anything accomplished on the offensive end.”
The Knights backfield was able to hold Oswego to only three shots on goal, but one goal from sophomore defender Brody Magro sealed the deal for the Lakers.
The Knights then went on to face second-place Cortland. Against all odds, the Knights were able to win against their playoff-bound opponent after senior midfielder Connor Beisner scored his second goal of the season.
“We really needed this win. We played a tough team and we really showed that we were the better team,” Oliveri said. “It was a good all-around game for our offense and our defense.”
In the coming week of Friday Oct. 24, the Knights will be preparing themselves for a run at the SUNYAC playoffs. The race to the playoffs will not be easy for the Knights. Oliveri outlined the best and worst case scenarios—they are quite different.
“Best case scenario, we climb up to number three in the rankings and we get home field for our opener,” he said. “Worst case scenario, we can drop out of playoff contention altogether, so the next few games are very important to us.”
The Knights’ final SUNYAC games against SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Potsdam will be on the road. This would normally be a disadvantage compared to playing games on their home field. This isn’t the case, however, for Geneseo.
“I actually don’t know why, but we played some of our best games on the road,” Oliveri said. “Maybe it’s because the guys spend more time with one another because they’re at the hotel instead of just going back to a suite or a dorm room. I have no idea why, but I’m not too worried about [these games].”
The Knights hit the road on Friday Oct. 24 against Plattsburgh and Saturday Oct. 25 against Potsdam.