PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.-- The SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (0-1-1) battled evenly with William Paterson (1-0-1) for 110 minutes on Saturday in a 3-3 draw. Senior defenseman
Tyler Mullery (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) had a goal with two assists and freshman forward
Jhonny Mendoza (Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood) had a goal and assist.
A few minutes into the game Mendoza was set up to take a corner kick. Mendoza kicked a short liner, but Mullery was able to capitalize off the bounce and head it in for a quick 1-0 advantage. The Pioneers Jordan Saling tied the game up after junior goalie
Jakeb Mitchell (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) came out to challenge Saling, only for him to kick it over Mitchell's head into the net. At 21:27, Dromo Quaye gave William Paterson the lead after a pass from Zach Perez. The lead lasted for a few minutes until Mullery threw the ball in for sophomore defenseman
Rob Dulanto (Queens, N.Y./Francis Lewis) to head in. The Bears had a few more chances on goal for the remainder of the first half, but got stopped by Kyle Quigley. The Pioneers had had a pair of shots on goal but Mitchell was able to stop them both with ease, as both teams went into the half tied at two.
Similar to the first half, Potsdam got things going with a goal within the first five minutes. Sophomore midfielder
Brendan Wall (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) passed the ball down the field to Mullery as he then had a remarkable cross for Mendoza who got it past Quigley, giving the Bears an early second half lead. The game stayed in Potsdam's favor until William Paterson's Cameron Allen crossed the ball from the left side for Brandon Harley to score a header with four and a half minutes left. Neither team scored by the end of regulation so they headed to overtime.
The first half of overtime tested both goaltenders multiple times but nothing got passed them. At 95:12, Mullery headed the ball towards the net. As it looked like it was going to go in, a Pioneer defenseman saved it with a header. The second part of overtime was more mellow than the first as neither team could get a shot on goal, and the game ended in a 3-3 tie.
Mitchell ended the game with 10 saves, while Quigley ended with four.
Potsdam returns to action Wednesday at 7 p.m. as they host SUNY Canton at Maxcy Turf Field.
