Alfred, NY- The Alfred University men's soccer team endured two overtime periods during their season-opener as part of a 1-1 draw against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Wednesday from the Kessel Athletic Complex.
The Saxons defense stood tall, allowing only five shots on goal. Alfred University also earned nine corner kick opportunities.
"Our character showed immensely with several players stepping up after being sent down to 10 players early on," Head Coach
Tracy Blake said. "
Bobby Saucier did a great job at protecting our back line of
Mason Sanborn,
Scott Larsen, and
Gavin Harrington when it was needed. We played really well and supported one another every chance we got."
Senior defender
Gavin Harrington (Elmira, NY/Notre Dame) finished with a team-high four shots on goal, finding the back of the net once for the Saxons (0-0-1). First-year midfielder
Noam Sokolovsky (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) added four shots, two of which were on goal. The goalkeeping efforts of first-year
Robert Mann (Buffalo, NY/Frederick Law Olmsted) and sophomore
Daniel Koenig (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay) resulted in a combined four saves.
Junior Scott Compson led the Panthers (0-0-1) with one goal, while senior Brent Kennedy tacked on the assist.
Alfred University held a strong defensive front to start the game, only surrendering three shots and one corner kick opportunity in the opening half. The Saxons were not able to convert any of their eight corner kick opportunities into goals before entering halftime with a scoreless draw.
Alfred found their first goal of the new season in the early stages of the second half, as a pass from junior midfielder
Vyper Latulippe (Onset, MA/Tabor Academy) to Harrington gave the Saxons a 1-0 lead. The Panthers answered with a goal of their own, evening the score. Neither side found an opportunity to score during the overtime periods, as the game ended with a draw.
"We have big matchups over the course of the next two weeks," Blake said. "We're confident we are in a favorable position as we move closer to our Empire 8 conference games."
The Saxons continue their season on the road, traveling to play Plattsburgh State on Saturday at 3pm as part of the Plattsburgh Cardinal Classic.
