The men’s soccer team extended its undefeated streak to five after a 1-1 draw with SUNY-Geneseo on Sunday at Higgins Stadium.
The Bombers were able to score early in the 11th minute when freshman forward Alex Lawless put the ball in the back of the net off a cross from freshman midfielder Blair Carney. It was the first career goal for Lawless, and Carney’s first career assist.
The Blue Knights were able to strike back with seven minutes left in the second half after junior midfielder Craig Schackner ripped a shot from just inside the box to the opposite side of the net, beating sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Gentile. Geneseo Head Coach Dominic Oliveri said he made a tactical change late in the game, adding a third forward to the frontline, which helped the Blue Knights add more pressure and tie the game.
After two 10-minute overtime periods, both teams were unable to convert. Sophomore midfielder Liam Joy said the captains were very motivational and helped the Blue and Gold regain some momentum in added time.
“I was really proud of the whole team, that we were able to come out in overtime and really push to get our energy back up and have a couple chances that we just couldn’t finish off,” Joy said.
Both teams featured new starting goalkeepers. For the South Hill squad, freshman Kenny Chapman earned his first career start and made one save. Gentile came in during the second half to close out the game. For the Blue Knights, junior Dan Maddock played his first career minutes.
Oliveri said the switch was the result of the team’s former starter, senior Nick Voggel, making mistakes in previous games.
“The goalie I switched was a senior, and he made a couple key errors that led to some goals in our opening four games,” Oliveri said. “I just thought today was the switch, just see what happens leading into the conference play next weekend. So, now I have a difficult decision to make.”
The Bombers are now 2–1–3 this season. Senior captain Jack Shirley said there is a lot to learn from this past weekend to help prepare the team for their next match Saturday against Empire 8 Conference opponent Houghton College.
“I was proud of the way our guys battled, especially after playing 110 minutes yesterday [against St. John Fisher],” Shirley said. “But the main takeaway is we saw some guys step up, like Brandon Glass and Alex Lawless. If we can get more guys working hard and proving they can contribute, then these overtime games will turn into wins.”
