Men’s soccer clinches number one seed with a shutout over SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Photo courtesy of Geneseo Knights
After a commanding 2-0 shutout over SUNY Polytechnic on Saturday, the SUNY Geneseo men’s soccer team clinched the Empire 8 regular season title and secured the top seed for the upcoming conference playoffs.
On Saturday, Oct. 25, the men’s soccer team faced SUNY Polytechnic Institute and won with a score of 2-0. Not only did this win give them the number one seed for the upcoming Empire 8 playoffs, but it also gave them the Empire 8 regular season title. This was the Knights’ sixth shutout of the season. They ended the regular season with a record of 11-4-2 as well.
In the first 20 minutes of the game, there was friction between the Knights and the Wildcats to take control of the field. Both teams were playing aggressively on the offensive ends, and the score remained at 0-0. Multiple shots from both teams were taken, but none landed.
But only six minutes later, the Knights saw their opportunity to score and succeeded, with a ball sent across the crease from senior forward Dylan Thody to junior forward Aiden Lodie for the Knights’ first goal of the game. This was Thody’s eighth assist of the season and Lodie’s fifth goal.
They were not done yet though, and with energy high the Knights kept up the intensity. Only two minutes later, Dylan Thody took a shot on goal that was blocked but then recovered by senior defender Eric Famularo. Famularo then took a shot to the bottom left corner and scored to increase the deficit to 2-0. This was Famularo’s second goal of the season.
For the remainder of the half, the Knights were able to hold off the Wildcats from any further shots and kept the ball on the offensive. The Wildcats struggled to get any movement going thanks to the Knights’ strong defense. The Knights also had several more shots, but none were capitalized on as a goal.
During the second half, there were great efforts from senior midfielder Connor Guercia and Aiden Lodie on the offensive end. The Knights also stayed tenacious for the next 45 minutes, denying the Wildcats any chance to try and even the score. The final score was 2-0 and gave the Knights an undefeated record for the conference season at 9-0-1.
During the full 90 minutes, the defensive end persevered and contested the Wildcats’ offensive attempts. They stayed strong by refusing to let a single goal be scored for the whole game. Goalkeeper Max Crothall saved three shots for the Knights, ensuring that their winning streak stayed alive and well. He also has a 0.778 save percentage for the Knights for the season.
The Knights will be facing Brockport on Oct. 29 for their final game of the regular season at College Stadium. This game will be competitive, as out of the last four times the Knights faced Brockport, three of them ended in a tie. They will also have their first playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 1. Depending on how the remainder of the games play out for the rest of the Empire 8, the Knights will face the lowest seed. This game will be at home, so be sure to show up and support your men’s soccer team!