POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (8-7-2, 3-4-1 SUNYAC) kept its playoff hopes alive with a 2-2 draw with the College at Brockport (8-2-6, 3-2-3) on Friday afternoon at Maxcy Turf Field. Senior striker Eduardo Figueroa (Rochester, N.Y./Dr. Freddie Thomas) scored the 28th goal of his career to pass Jack Groff '68 for first place on the program's all-time goals scored list. Senior forward Cliff Bondi (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) also scored for Potsdam, while freshman defender Chris Aherne (Stoney Point, N.Y./North Rockland) netted both goals for Brockport.
 

The Golden Eagles made the most of their first opportunity. Brockport junior midfielder Patrick Sprague (Spencerport, N.Y./Spencerport) sent a corner kick into the Potsdam box and Aherne knocked it home at the 7:38 mark. The Bears responded five minutes later. At 12:21, junior midfielder Ben Firlit (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) lofted a cross to the left side of the box. Figueroa trapped the ball and ripped it past Golden Eagle senior goalie Max Drexler (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Olympia) to tie the score. While shots were difficult to come by, each one seemed to be a strong scoring chance. With about 15 minutes remaining in the half, Bondi entered the contest. Just 24 seconds later, junior midfielder Tom Benedetto (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) sent a long pass ahead. Bondi picked it up in stride, split two Brockport defenders and deposited the ball in the right corner of the net. The Golden Eagles finished the half with a slim 7-5 advantage in shots.
 
Brockport opened the second half with good pressure and tied the game almost eight minutes later. After a long throw in, junior forward Peter DiLorenzo (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) headed the ball toward the net and Aherne headed it home at 52:56. The game got physical as regulation wound down and the Golden Eagles created several more scoring chances. With 4:10 left, Bears freshman defender Matthew Wagner (Bronxville, N.Y./Bronxville) slide and poked the ball away from a Brockport striker, preventing a potential breakaway.
 
Brockport outshot the Bears 5-2 in the two 10-minute overtime sessions, but both teams had chances to end the contest. Potsdam won the penalty kick tiebreaker 4-2 and would get the higher seed if the teams ended the season tied in the standings.
 
Bears sophomore goalie Nick Davies (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) totaled nine saves, while Drexler had just one stop.
 
The Golden Eagles outshot Potsdam 21-14 on the afternoon and finished with a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
 
The tie keeps the Bears in the final playoff spot for now. A victory over SUNY Geneseo tomorrow would clinch a postseason berth. Potsdam can still finish anywhere from third place to out of the playoffs entirely depending on many potential scenarios to be played on the final day of the season.
 
The Bears host the Blue Knights in a critical contest tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.