ALBANY, NY- Early offense from #3 Sages College resulted in a 4-1 victory over the Alfred University men's soccer team during the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament on Wednesday from ACP Stadium. The Saxons placed seven of their 17 shots on goal. Alfred earned nine corner kick opportunities, while the Gators finished with five.

The Saxons relied on junior defender Mason Sanborn (Wappingers Falls, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) for their lone goal. Sophomore forward Justin Eaton (Williamson, NY/Williamson) totaled a team-high five shots, one of which was on goal. First-year goalkeeper Daniel Koenig (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay) recorded four saves for Alfred.

"This was a great group of young players," Head Coach Tracy Blake said. "They played hard and worked each day for the benefit of the team."

The Gators found their opening goal at the 1:32 mark of the first half due to an opening on the left side of the net. Sage continued to apply pressure, as a header moments later forced Alfred to play from behind by a 2-0 margin. Two additional goals for the Gators resulted in a 4-0 deficit at the break.

The Saxons opened the second half with a more aggressive approach on the offense end. Seven of Alfred's nine corner kicks came in the final half of action. Sanborn grabbed the rebound off a corner kick and scored to put the Saxons on the scoreboard. While the defense held Sage to a scoreless second half, Alfred could not complete the comeback.

"We changed our formation at halftime," Blake said. "I challenged the team to win the second half and not concede, and that's exactly what they did."