The Geneseo men’s soccer team continues to keep the ball rolling. After a thrilling victory on Sept. 11 against the Houghton College Highlanders, the Knights secured their second win at home against the Hobart College Statesmen on Saturday Sept. 15.
The two wins come after a tough start to the season. The Knights started the season 0-2-2, but quickly turned that around with a 2-1 win against Houghton and a 1-0 win against Hobart.
While the Knights were firing on all cylinders this past Saturday night against Hobart, senior midfielder Austin DeRidder put them over the top with the only goal of the contest.
Junior goaltender Liam Dole sees the importance of getting two big wins at home before conference play begins.
“Starting off the season, we didn’t get the results we wanted,” Dole said. “We saw improvements, but finally getting the results we did, it’s something we definitely needed.”
Dole helped the Knights get back on track. He posted a shutout in their win against Hobart with five saves and had another five saves in their win against Houghton. Dole also made a huge save on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute against Hobart to keep the game scoreless and ultimately preserve the shutout.
In his second shutout of his college career, Dole discussed how he stayed focused during the penalty shot.
“I just wanted to be as relaxed as I could,” Dole said. “I just guessed my left and was able to keep the ball out of the net.”
The Knights did a fantastic job of keeping possession and holding their opponents off the scoreboard. The defensive structure Coach Howlett has instilled into the Knights’ game plan has led to more offensive chances for the Knights and fewer for their opponents.
Freshman midfielder Ari Samoohy praised the Knights’ defense in the two victories. “[Our defense] is massive. Our offense is built from our defense,” Samoohy said. “Focus on defense, that’s [Coach Howlett’s] main key.”
Samoohy was all over the field in the Knights’ two wins thus far. While he hasn’t found the scoresheet in regular season play, he has been creating chances offensively and has been stellar defensively.
Samoohy’s energy got himself into trouble when he was caught offsides a few times in the Houghton game.
“I usually get too excited because I see a lot of space, so I just run,” Samoohy said. “I just have to time my runs better”.
Samoohy has a lot of potential and can be a huge part of the Knights’ future success, along with the other freshmen. His explosiveness will be a helpful attribute in the Knights’ upcoming conference games against SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Plattsburgh.
As conference play starts up this weekend, freshman midfielder Jeremy Contreras outlined a few keys to the Knights’ success.
“We just got to start early. We’ve had some slow starts,” Contreras said. “When we scored the first goal really early, it gave us a boost.”
A lockdown defense and quick, impactful offense seem to be the Knights’ top priority heading into a tough weekend.
The Knights face off against conference opponent Plattsburgh at 4 p.m. in Plattsburgh on Friday Sept. 21. The Knights then head to Potsdam at 1 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 22 for their second conference game of the season.