CANTON, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam (2-0) and SUNY Plattsburgh (2-0) men's soccer teams each defeated their opponents in opening round of the 2015 Potsdam College Cup. Four different Bears scored as Potsdam downed Purchase College (1-1) 4-0 and the Cardinals doubled up Hobart College (1-1) 2-0.
 
Junior forward Ritchie Hetherington (Falkirk,Scotland/Herkimer County C.C.) and freshman midfielder Jorge Ferrer (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) scored their first goals as Bears and seniors Ben Firlit (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) and senior Stephen Auyer (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego) also found the back of the net. Junior forward Alexis Archilla (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick) and senior midfielder Fabian Chaparro (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) each scored for Plattsburgh.
 
The teams battled the high 80's heat along with each other. The Bears controlled the play for much of the first half, but didn't get on the board until just before the break. Sophomore defender Spencer Johnston (Valatie, N.Y./Hudson Valley C.C.) set up Ferrer's header in front of the net and the freshman notched the eventual game-winner with 37 seconds left in the half. Potsdam finished the opening 45 minutes with a 9-1 advantage in shots.
 
The Bears dominated the second half, while the Panthers struggled to move the ball into the offensive end. Hetherington struck just 2:49 into the final period, knocking home a loose ball in a crowd. The goal took the wind out of Purchase's sails on the already steamy day. In the 55th minute, Firlit drove around a Panther defender and rang the right goal post to make it a 3-0 contest. Nearly eight minutes later, Auyer sealed the win with a blast from the left side of the net.
 
Potsdam outshot Purchase 22-4 in the contest, though the Panthers finished with a 6-3 advantage in corners. Bears junior goalkeeper Nick Davies (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) made two saves in 76:52 to earn his program-best 16th career victory. Senior Jesse Kohler (Middletown, N.Y./Tompkins-Cortland C.C.) was untested over the remainder of the game.
 
Purchase senior goalie Esteban Aguilar (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) stopped six shots and allowed all four goals in the first 64:56 and junior Uriel Milechberg (Buenos Aires, Argentina/ORT) made four saves in the last 24:04.
 
Firlit and Auyer are now tied for sixth place on Potsdam's all-time scoring list with 35 points each.
 
Bears Head Coach Adam Parker was pleased with the improvement he saw after a difficult opener on Tuesday and talked about the importance of scoring first on a day like this.
 
"I think everybody did their job and played their role today," said Parker. "It was good that we got the first goal with the heat out there because if you fall behind it seems like an even tougher uphill battle. When we scored right before the half, their heads really dropped. To get the first goal then, allowed us to be comfortable going into the second half. We settled down a little bit and played a little more possession."
 
Plattsburgh 2, Hobart 0

In the day's finale, the Cardinals broke out of a tightly contested game midway through the first half. After a Hobart defender knocked down a long blast, Archilla picked up the ball and blew past him to make it 1-0. Just three minutes later Plattsburgh senior goalie Mitchell Jordon (Bolton Landing, N.Y./Bolton) robbed Statesmen senior forward Jacob Fox (Kansas City, Mo./Pembroke Hill) after a perfect cross to preserve the lead. Due to strong Cardinal defense, Jordon was not seriously tested again. In the 70th minute, Charparro launched a high shot from 18 yards out that just curved down under the bar to evade Hobart senior keeper Tyler Serafine (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) to make it 2-0. The two teams battled it out in a particularly physical second half, but Plattsburgh's speed and tough defense prevented a Statesmen rally.
 
The Cardinals outshot Hobart 11-8, but the Statesmen had six corners to Plattsburgh's one. There were 18 fouls called in the contest and two yellow cards. Serafine stopped one shot and Jordon made two saves.
 
The teams switch partners tomorrow. The Cardinals square off with Purchase at 11 a.m. and the Bears host Hobart at 1:30 p.m.