Photo Courtesy of SUNY Geneseo
Geneseo Men’s Soccer won their second straight Empire 8 title following a hard-fought 1-0 overtime victory against Hartwick. The Knights move to 15-4-1 on the season as they head into the NCAA Tournament.
In this weekend’s championship match, Geneseo Men’s Soccer took down Hartwick 1-0 in overtime, completing a back-to-back victory streak in the Empire 8 conference. It was a long, hard-fought battle, with senior forward Aiden Lodie being the Knight to finally put away Hartwick in the extra period.
The first half saw a slow, defensive game between the two teams, with it remaining 0-0 going into the second half. Geneseo turned up the heat after the break, applying more and more pressure. Senior midfield Michael Ruggiero put up two dangerously close shots on goal, just missing the net both times. And, of course, five minutes into extra time after 90 minutes of a motionless scoreboard, sophomore forward Franco Viscone gained possession of the ball in Hartwick’s backline, sending a lob into the box where Lodie chipped in the game-winning goal.
Geneseo took 16 shots compared to Hartwick’s six, with three shots being on goal to Hartwick’s zero. Lodie was named the Empire 8 Championship MVP, as he also put up the game-winning shot against Brockport in the semi-final match. This was junior goalkeeper Max Crothall’s fifteenth win of the season and his eighth shutout, a leading statistic in the Empire 8 conference.
It is great to see a streak beginning for the Knights, as last year’s conference championship was Geneseo’s first since 2006. The men’s record stands at 15-4-1 to end the season, with a 10-2 record in the conference specifically. 10 of those games were a straight win streak. This was in contrast to Hartwick’s overall record of 8-11-0 and conference record of 8-2-0.
Here are some stats from players on the field for Geneseo: Aiden Lodie finished the game out with two shots, one of which was a shot on goal; one goal, which was the game winner; and zero assists. Franco Viscone finished out the game with one shot, zero shots on goal, zero goals, and one assist to Lodie for the win. Michael Ruggiero finished the game with four shots total and zero shots on goal, goals, and assists, while freshman forward Ferenc Bagi also finished the game with four shots and zero shots on goal, goals, and assists.
Taking a loss to Middlebury in the first round of NCAAs last year should have lit a fire for the team this year as they look to advance into uncharted territory. Wesleyan University ended its season with an overall record of 7-5-4 and a conference record of 3-4-3. Geneseo maintains a better record while having played more games, both overall and within the Empire 8 conference. Playing that same day is a match between Scranton and Manhattanville, the winner of which will play Geneseo if they take down Wesleyan University. Both teams have similar records to Geneseo, with Scranton holding a 15-1-3 overall record and Manhattanville holding a 14-3-4 overall record. Beyond that match, possible teams Geneseo could face are Bowdoin, Thomas (ME), St. Lawrence University, and Neumann.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming game against Wesleyan University on Nov. 14 as the Knights begin their NCAA run! As recently-deceased legendary football coach Lou Holtz commented, “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.” Let’s keep that spirit in mind, make sure to cheer them on throughout their run, and show our Geneseo pride; as always—SUNY G BELIEVE!