POTSDAM, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (2-3-2) seized the 2-0 victory against Route 11 rival SUNY Canton (2-4-0) at Maxcy Hall Turf Field. SUNY Potsdam now leads the all-time series against SUNY Canton 11-0-1.
The Bears came out striking as they had six shots on goal in the first half of play. Five minutes into the game, freshman midfielder
Brennan Halbohm (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) took SUNY Potsdam's first out of five corner kicks in the first half. Senior defenseman
Colin Zieske (Averill Park, N.Y./Averill Park) was in position and headed the ball bottom-left of the goal, resulting a block by a Canton defender. The Bears continued to keep the pressure on the Roos as senior midfielder
Sebastian Matos (Huntington, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) slipped through a mob of Kangaroo defenders and chipped the ball past Roos senior goalie Tyler Petersen (Brunswick, N.Y./Tamarac) for his second goal of the season, putting the Bears up 1-0 at 31:33 in the first half.
Continuing the attack in the second half, freshman forward
Justin Mossey (Amity Harbor, N.Y./Kellenburg Memorial) broke free from two Kangaroo defenders. He was tripped up by a diving-save attempt from Tyler Petersen in the Roos' 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Bears. Sophomore midfielder
Rafael Castro (Cartagena, Colombia/Longwood) then finished off the play, sending a bullet into the top-right corner of the net. The goal gave Potsdam a commanding 2-0 lead at 34:56 in the second half. The Bears defense played solid for the remainder of the contest, holding Canton to only three shots in that time span, thus securing the victory for Potsdam.
Senior goalkeeper
Conor Callan (Piermont, N.Y./Tappan Zee) recorded three saves for his second shutout of the season, third of his career. Physical play was also on showcase during this rivalry game, with a total of 18 fouls and three yellow-cards handed out between both teams.
The Bears are back at home on Friday, September 24, where they will play their SUNYAC opener against SUNY Cortland at 4 p.m. Potsdam will also play the following day against Oswego State at 1 p.m.
