Late goal lifts Lakers over Bears, 1-0

POTSDAM, N.Y.—Oswego State (2-2-4, 1-0-1 SUNYAC) scored in the 89th minute to defeat the SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (2-5-2, 0-2) 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Play opened with the Lakers pressuring

Potsdam's defense in the Bears' end. Just over three minutes into the contest, Oswego sophomore midfielder Kyle Gehnrich (Commack, N.Y./Commack) fired a shot from the right side of the penalty area. Potsdam senior goalie Conor Callan (Piermont, N.Y./Tappan Zee) tipped the ball over the crossbar to keep the game scoreless. The Bears slowly shifted the momentum to the Lakers' end of the field and out shot Oswego 7-3 in the opening half. Oswego graduate student goalie Brian Terra (Bayshore, N.Y./Sachem North) wasn't seriously tested despite making three saves. The game was still scoreless that the half.
 
The teams traded shots in the second half, finishing the period with six apiece. Neither team sustained pressure for extended periods of time and both had strong scoring opportunities, but the break came late. At 88:20, Laker freshman forward Chris Smith (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) picked up a pass from freshman defender Nikola Kovacevic (Commack, N.Y./Commack) at the right side of the box and buried it. Junior midfielder Omar Espinoza (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) picked up the second assist.
 
Callan finished with three saves, while Terra made five saves for the shutout. Potsdam outshot Oswego 13-9 and the Lakers finished with a 5-3 edge in corners.
 
The Bears are back in action on Friday, October 1, at 4 p.m.