Box Score
Box Score

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—St. John Fisher (2-5) scored a goal in the first half and two in the second to hand the SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team a 3-0 loss. Jake Backscheider, Connor Julien, and Austin Buckley each scored for the Cardinals.

St. John Fisher's defense was strong from the outset, stifling the Bears' scoring chances. The Cardinal offense was slow to start as well, but finally got on the board in the 40th minute. At the 39:44 mark, Sean Fishel launched a corner kick into the box and Backscheider headed the ball past Potsdam junior goalkeeper Jake Gyder (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool).  The first half ended with a 1-0 St. John Fisher advantage.

Just over six minutes into the second half, the Bears were whistled for a foul and the Cardinals were awarded a penalty kick. Julien made the most of it and gave St. John Fisher the 2-0 lead. Potsdam's offense had no better luck in the second half as they struggled for opportunities to close the gap. With 13 seconds remaining, John Crean set up Buckley for the contest's final score.
St. John Fisher outshot the Bears 18-7. Six yellow cards were awarded during the contest, four to Potsdam. Cardinal goalie Kyle Metcalf made five stops for the shutout. Gyder finished with nine saves.

Potsdam's Head Coach Adam Parker was frustrated in his team's effort.

“We didn't come ready to play,” said Parker. “We had a game plan, but we didn't execute it. Unfortunately we seem to end up playing the other team's game instead of our's. It was pretty disappointing.”

Next, the Bears (3-3-1) face their toughest test of the season when they take on fourth-ranked St. Lawrence in Canton on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 4 p.m.