POTSDAM, N.Y.- SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (5-1) cruises past Sage Colleges (2-2-1) 4-1 Saturday evening. Four different Bears scored in the attack on the Gators.
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Potsdam showed no mercy early in the first period. The Bears got off five shots to the Gators one before Potsdam got on the board at 27:07. Junior defender
Matt Parsons (Glens Falls, N.Y./Glens Falls) scored his second goal of the season to put the Bears up 1-0 when he beat Sage goalie TJ Zehner. Just over a minute later, senior midfielder
Johnny Zator (Lido Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) broke free and Zehner came charging out of the goal to challenge, but Zator slipped by to score the open goal to send the score to 2-0. Potsdam held the advantage in shots 9-8 at the end of the first half and the lead.
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Bears wasted no time after the break. At 47:49, sophomore defender
Matthew Wagner (Bronxville, N.Y./Bronxville) jumped on the scoring bandwagon off a corner kick from senior forward
Stephen Auyer (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego). There was a scrum in front of the goal before Wagner handled a pass from freshman midfielder
Isaac Sanabria (Bedford, N.Y./Fox Lane) to put the Bears up 3-0. Senior forward
Ben Firlit (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) continued his scoring fest another game when he found the back of the net with a cross from Auyer to the left side. Firlit sailed it across the goal line for his sixth goal of the season.
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With less than three minutes to go in the contest, the Gators earned a free kick on the left side. Defender Paul Reynoso sent a pass into the box where Joseph Diano stuck it past sophomore goalie
Keagen Briggs (Peru, N.Y./Seton Catholic). The Bears held on to secure the 4-1 victory.
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Potsdam held the advantage in shots 15-14, while the Gators led in corner kicks 4-3.
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Senior
Jesse Kohler (Middletown, N.Y./Tompkins-Cortland C.C.) earned the win with five saves in 81:56 and Briggs closed out the game giving up one goal in 8:04. Zehner took the loss for Sage with six saves in 86:23. Keeper Chris Dunham finished the game with one save in 3:37.
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The Bears are back in action Tuesday when they travel to cross-town rival St. Lawrence to battle the Saints at 4 p.m.
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