Hamilton Scores Only Goal in 86th Minute of play to Win 1-0

by: 

Tara Freeman

Yoon Sik Jung and the Saints fought hard Saturday against Hamilton.

Oct. 10:  The St. Lawrence University men's soccer team, now 7-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference, put up a tough fight Saturday, playing Hamilton in a scoreless match until the 86^th minute of play when Jon Sanford found the back of the net to give the Continentals the 1-0 win at Sandy MacAllaster Field in Canton, NY.

First-year goalkeeper Nate Goss-Woliner started in his first ever collegiate game Saturday and racked up seven saves against Hamilton.  He put on an impressive performance in net, making some key plays to keep the score 0-0 for almost the entire contest.

Both teams played a very physical match, with the Scarlet and Brown accumulating 17 fouls, and the Continentals totaling ten.  St. Lawrence put a lot of offensive pressure on Hamilton's defensive end, out-shooting the Continentals 20-12.  Unfortunately, they couldn't find the back of the goal.

In the first half, the Saints came onto the field with great momentum.  Within the first few minutes, senior Terrence O'Brien  had a shot on goal from the outside of the eighteen, and sophomore Sean Scott got one as well.

Both teams battled to see who would get on the scoreboard first.  St. Lawrence created some beautiful scoring opportunities, and worked the field well.  However, Hamilton responded evenly.

Senior Reed Carr showed off his fancy footwork in the right corner of Hamilton's defensive zone, making some key crosses, while first-year Will Congdon did the same. 

First-year Brendan Gorman had a nice header on goal, but Hamilton Keeper Eric Boole tipped the ball over the net. 

Hamilton also created some scoring opportunities, but the Saints played tough defense.  In the 28^th minute, Junior James Stewart had a big cross to Carr, but despite his effort couldn't get a shot off.

With 19 minutes to play in the first half, Hamilton had a scoring opportunity as Sam Dwyer took a long ground shot from outside the eighteen, but the Saints blocked the ball.

Both teams continued to press the defensive ends of the other, but no one could finish.  With roughly two minutes to play, Hamilton received a free kick.  Bennett Weinerman sent the ball into the eighteen from the right side of the Saints defensive end, but St. Lawrence cleared it immediately, ending the first period.

In the second half, play looked much like that of the first period.  The Saints outshot the Continentals 11-5, putting a lot of pressure on Hamilton's defense.  Gorman had some great opportunities, making some nice turns, and getting his head on the ball well, but couldn't get the ball passed Boole.

Carr continued to make huge crosses, setting up a bunch of opportunities for the Scarlet and Brown.  Sophomore Dan Marvin had a few chances and displayed his skilled footwork against Hamilton's fullbacks. 

In the 78^th minute of play, Saint sophomore Mike Manfredi received a red card, forcing the Saints to play the last twelve minutes of the game a man down.  St. Lawrence rose to the challenge, making it very difficult for the Continentals to find the net.

With about three minutes left to play, Sanford and Goss-Woliner fought for a 50/50 ball, and Sanford just got the last touch, sliding the ball passed Goss-Woliner to put the Continentals up by one.  Marcus Dormanan earned the assist.

The Saints fought hard in the last minutes of play, with Marvin crossing the ball well.  In the last minute of the game, sophomore Tyler McCune passed the ball to first-year Alex Laird who passed to Stewart, but unfortunately the tri couldn't get a shot off.

With barely thirty seconds left to play, Laird fired a shot at Boole, but couldn't find the back of the net.

The Scarlet and Brown will have this upcoming weekend off, but will host Vassar, Saturday Oct. 24  at 3:00 pm.