The Geneseo men's soccer team faced two tough opponents on the road, tying both Clarkson University 2-2 on Friday Sept. 11 and St. Lawrence University 1-1 on Saturday Sept. 12. The Knights still remain undefeated, however, with a record of 3-0-3. "We created a numerous amount of chances [against Clarkson], but we need to increase quality chances a little more against a team like that," head coach Dominic Oliveri said. "We played really well in the first half against them and didn't give up any shots on goal at all, but the score was still 0-0. When you leave a team in the game like that, anything can happen."
The second half of that game turned out to be hectic, as all four goals were scored in a span of just 12 minutes. Junior midfielder Matt D'Amico scored his second goal of the season in the 71st minute, but Clarkson countered by scoring twice in one minute to take the lead.
"We weren't playing well in the second half,” Oliveri said. "They really flustered us the whole time. We got a goal with about 20 minutes left and I think our guys thought that we would just cruise from there, but instead, the opposite happened."
The Knights managed to tie up the game in the 83rd minute on a goal from junior forward Ethan Gunty, his second of the season.
After that game, the Knights took on the St. Lawrence Saints. St. Lawrence entered the game an undefeated 4-0, but the two teams settled for a tie. Oliveri was more than pleased with that result against a formidable opponent.
"I had a feeling that we would play much better on Saturday,” he said. "[When playing] against a stronger team, you become more motivated."
The Knights had a solid first half, limiting the Saints' opportunities and scoring a goal of their own in the 21st minute, courtesy of senior Brad Campion. It was the first goal that St. Lawrence had allowed all season long. The Saints made a comeback in the second half, however, and managed to even the score in the 74th minute.
"It was pretty hectic for the last 15 minutes into overtime,” Oliveri said. "They hit the crossbar, then we hit the crossbar. They saved one off the line and then we saved one off the line. It was going back and forth.”
The Knights' long road trip is nearing its end, but the team has another challenging game to play at 4-1 Hobart College on Saturday Sept. 19. They finally return to College Stadium to play SUNY Fredonia on Sept. 25.