The men’s soccer team started SUNYAC conference play this past weekend with a pair of wins. The Knights hosted SUNY Fredonia on Sept. 23 and Buffalo State College on Sept. 24, defeating the teams 2-0 and 3-0, respectively. The team advanced its overall record to 5-2-1 and its SUNYAC record to 2-0-0.
Geneseo opened its match against Fredonia lethargically, finding few chances on net and conceding possession to the opposition. After a scoreless first half, the Knights drastically changed their pace, scoring five minutes into the second half. Senior Ian Mort fed classmate Colin Begy in front of the goal to put Geneseo on the board at 50 minutes, 10 seconds.
Twenty minutes later, the pair swapped roles as Mort finished a combination play from Begy to put the Knights up 2-0. The team maintained possession and pressure for the rest of the match, outshooting its opponents 16-9. Senior Sam Murphy posted four saves to aid the 2-0 victory.
“I wasn’t too happy with the first half. We made a lot of mental errors,” said head coach Dominic Oliveri. “In the second half, we were a completely different team. We dominated [Fredonia] by winning balls, passing well, and posting a strong defense.”
Oliveri admitted he was “nervous going into the Buffalo State match,” coming off such an “emotional high against our rivals.” Despite his concerns, Geneseo opened the match aggressively, scoring twice in the first 12 minutes.
Sophomore Ryan Yurchak intercepted a goal kick and slid a through ball to Mort in the third minute to give the team an early lead. Mort scored his second of the match in the 11th minute as he flicked in a header from Begy’s corner kick.
“We realized we had the 2-0 lead and started to get a little relaxed,” said Oliveri. Geneseo’s pace noticeably slowed for the rest of the half, but the team managed to keep the two-goal gap at half.
An early goal in the second half allowed the Knights to reset the tone of the match. Senior John Piaggione went one-on-one with Fredonia’s goalkeeper after collecting a through ball from Mort, netting the team’s third goal in the 56th minute. Geneseo dominated play for the rest of the match and coasted to a 3-0 victory. Murphy made two saves in posting his fourth shutout of the season.
“Our defense played really well, along with Murphy, who did outstanding in goal. We were really tough to score on,” said Oliveri.
After a successful start to the SUNYAC season, the coach stated that he felt optimistic about how his team will fare in the league.
“We are a senior-oriented team, and we know what conference play is all about,” said Oliveri. “If we play like we did this weekend, we’ll be tough to beat.”
The Knights hit the road to continue SUNYAC play, facing SUNY New Paltz on Sept. 30 and SUNY Oneonta on Oct. 1.