UTICA, NY -- A clutch 88th minute goal for the Alfred University men's soccer team delivered them a 1-0 road win over the Utica Univeristy Pioneers on Saturday afternoon.
"The guys worked super hard today," Head Coach
Garret Eldridge said. "I'm excited to see us show that much grit. We will keep working each day to improve and grow."
Alfred (4-2-1, 2-1-1 Empire 8) dominated the opening part of the game, recording nine shots with four of them on target. The Saxons finished the first half with 11 shots total, making up a total of 18 throughout the 90 minutes.
Some of the beneficiaries of said shots were
Derek Alexei Rodriguez (Panama Oesta, Panama/Colegio San Gabriel de la Dolorosa) and
Lawrence John Taylor (Bong County, Liberia/Westminster School). Both of them finished with
two shots on goal.
Three other Saxons challenged the Pioneers' (3-5-1, 1-2-0 Empire 8) netminder, including
AJ Giaquinto (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), Hamza Kromah (Margibi, Liberia/Western Reserve Academy), and
Xavier Bowman (Hampstead, MD/Manchester Valley).
But the fourth player to record a shot on goal ended up being the most vital one of all. A scramble in the Saxons box eventually led to a counterattack for the visitors.
Griff Schillmoeller (Waverly, NY/Waverly) dished off a pass to Bowman, who flicked it through the defensive line to
Juanjo Menendez Gutierrez (Villanueva Cañada, Madrid, Spain/Woodstock Academy) all alone to slot it in with two minutes to go.
Utica did its best to challenge
Tyler Mulholland (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township) in the final two minutes, with its lone shot going over the bar to close out the win. He wrapped up the match with three saves to get the victory.
Alfred University will begin a stretch of three straight home games, starting off by hosting SUNY Brockport on September 30 at 7:00 p.m.
-- Swords Forward Saxons --
