Elmira Earns Shutout Win

10/29/2014 9:22:00 PM

ELMIRA 2, SUNY IT 0
The Elmira College men's Soccer team got into the win column this afternoon as the Soaring Eagles posted a 2-0 shutout win against the Wildcats of SUNY IT.  Elmira's Ronaldo Charlton '18 delivered the game-winning goal in the first half on a one-time blast from 18 yards out, giving the rookie forward his second goal of the season.  
 
Elmira took a more offensive approach to today's game as the Soaring Eagles outshot the Wildcats 22-to-15, marking the first time this season EC has outshot an opponent.  The number of Elmira shot attempts was trumped only by the quality of looks they had today as the Purple and Gold forced SUNY IT into several vulnerable positions on defense.
 
Elmira's first real scoring chance came in the 24th minute when Chris Aristizabal '16 launched one from just outside 18 yards, forcing SUNY IT goalkeeper Jesse Yanarella to make a full extension save.  Tony Barraco '18 had a similar play in the 28th minute when, from 20 yards out, he placed a shot towards the upper right corner of the goal, forcing Yanarella to make another leaping save.
 
The Soaring Eagles kept pressing in the first half and it paid off in the 35th minute when Barraco delivered a ball from 50 yards out to Donte Donegal '18, who elevated over top a defender and flicked the ball with his head past the defensive line to a sprinting Ronaldo Charlton '18.  Charlton would let the ball bounce twice before ripping his shot past a diving goalie into the upper left corner of the net for EC's first goal of the game. 
 
The Purple and Gold attack did not stop there however.  Elmira's pressure continued in the second half as the Soaring Eagles nearly scored a pair of goals less than 10 minutes after the halftime break.  In the 47th minute, Donegal received a through ball in a good attacking position but his shot would miss the target and sail high.  Then, in the 54th minute, Victor Rosas-Granda '18 just narrowly missed the goal on a bending ball from 16 yards out that looked to be heading for the far-side post but would be stopped by Yanarella who made another diving save. 
 
However, Elmira's relentlessness was rewarded in the 67th minute when Barraco knocked-in his second goal of the season.  Barraco's goal was setup by Rosas-Granda who had a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper but did not manage to get a shot off as Yanarella made a diving tackle, knocking the ball loose to stop the initial pressure.  Fortunately for the Soaring Eagles, Barraco stayed with the play,found the loose ball, and buried it in the back of the net to give EC a 2-0 lead.
 
Baracco's goal was more than enough as the Purple and Gold held on to win it, 2-0.  A large part of today's win can be credited to starting goalkeeper Austin Mansell '16 who made six saves en route to his first collegiate win and Elmira's first win of the 2014 season.  Mansell now has 40 saves this year. 
 

RIT 2, ITHACA 1
The Ithaca College men's soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to the Rochester Institute of Technology Wednesday evening at Carp Wood Field.  Ithaca's record moves to 4-7-3 overall, while RIT improves to 5-11-1 on the season.
 
Junior Brandon Thompson scored the lone goal for Ithaca. Senior goalkeeper Jordan Gentile made four saves on six Tiger shots. RIT held a slight advantage with 11 total shots to Ithaca's seven, and four corner kicks to the Bombers' one.
 
After a scoreless opening half, Ithaca got on the board first in the second frame. Thompson took a feed in the midfield from senior Brandon Glass, eventually moving to the far side on a group of RIT defenders. Thompson took a shot back towards the near side, beating the Tiger goalkeeper for his first goal as a Bomber to give Ithaca the 1-0 lead.
 
The Tigers evened the contest with exactly nine minutes remaining in regulation, as RIT converted on a corner kick to put the game at 1-1. Just 38 seconds later, the Tigers pulled ahead on a goal scored via a cross through the box, giving RIT the 2-1 lead in the closing minutes.
 
Ithaca pressured in the final moments, but was unable to beat the RIT goalkeeper, giving the Tigers a 2-1 non-conference win.


Geneseo 3, ST. JOHN FISHER 0
The St. John Fisher College men's soccer team fell behind 2-0 to the visiting Geneseo Knights after the first half, eventually falling 3-0 in non-conference action Wednesday at Growney Stadium.

With the loss Fisher falls to 4-11-1, while Geneseo improves to 10-7-2.

Geneseo opened up the scoring in the 15^th minute as Jason Iannone five-holed Josh Klein to take a 1-0 lead.

The Knights doubled their lead midway through the first half as Tyler Chauncey collected a loose ball and slotted it into the near post.

Fisher had an excellent scoring opportunity just minutes into the second half as Chris Ferrara play a pass into Zach Hammond, who ripped a shot from 8-yards out just wide.

The Cardinals kept the pressure coming in the 49^th minute as Jake Gentile fired a shot from the 18-yard box, forcing Geneseo goalie Trevor Heckathorn to make a difficult stop at his feet.

The Knights added their final tally of the game in the 77^th minute off a shot from outside the 18-yard box that bent inside the far post.

Fisher kept pushing, nearly getting on the board with five minutes to play off a free kick as Danny Yancone sent in a shot that hit off the crossbar.

Fisher finished with an 18-16 shot advantage, including 15-5 in the second half.

Klein played the first half, while Szymon Labecki took over in the second half making four and one save, respectively.


Plattsburgh 5, UTICA 1
The Utica College men's soccer team lost to host Plattsburgh State 5-1 in non-conference action on Wednesday night.  Utica's Anthony Fotino (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) netted his first goal of the season in the 83^rd minutes, off an assist from Michael Bernardo (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore), to account for the lone goal of the evening for the Pioneers.

Utica's record moved to 6-8-3 overall headed into a key Empire 8 Conference matchup against visiting Alfred University on Saturday at 4 p.m. If the Pioneers defeat Alfred on Saturday they will earn a spot in the coveted Empire 8 Conference Tournament.

Utica found itself in an early 3-0 hole after 27:47 of play after goals from Plattsburgh's Ian Spear, Nicholas Laurent and Chris Bowden.  Bowden added his second goal of the night before the half to give the home team a 4-0 lead at the intermission. 

Plattsburgh advanced its lead to 5-0 in the 78^th minute when Matt Henning netted his first goal of the season.

Utica freshman Michael Bernardo (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) recorded his first collegiate assist when he found Fotino in the 83^rd minute to sour the Cardinals' bid at a shutout. 

Utica freshman goalie Matthew Milograno (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) made his first collegiate start in net for Utica and stopped three shots.  Senior goalie David Abdou (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) came on in relief in the second half and fended off five shots for the Pioneers, allowing just one goal. Plattsburgh earned a convincing 29-5 shot advantage on the afternoon.