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Bears men's soccer rallies past Gators, 3-2

Posted 9/7/14

POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (3-1-1) rallied from a 2-1 first half deficit to down Sage College (0-3) 3-2 on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Cliff Bondi (Guilderland, …

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Bears men's soccer rallies past Gators, 3-2

Posted

POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (3-1-1) rallied from a 2-1 first half deficit to down Sage College (0-3) 3-2 on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Cliff Bondi (Guilderland, N.Y./Guiderland) netted the game-winner for the Bears and sophomore goalie Nick Davies (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) earned his ninth career victory.

Junior forward Stephen Auyer (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego) opened the scoring at the 9:34 mark of the first half. Junior defender Eric Cassidy (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) sent a long pass ahead and Auyer picked it up and beat the defense for a 1-0 Bears lead. At the 24:37 mark, Gator Paul Reynoso was awarded a free kick outside the box and Kyle LeClerc headed it into the goal to tie the game. Just over 10 minutes later, Tyler Denton finished a cross from Camara Mu'Ammar in front of the net to give Sage its first lead of the contest. Potsdam halted the Gator momentum in the 45th minute as junior forward Ben Firlit (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) broke loose to score his third goal in two games. The teams were tied 2-2 at the break.

The Bears gained a slight edge in the contest during the second half, outshooting Sage 9-7 in the final 45 minutes. The pressure paid off at the 65:42 mark as Bondi put Potsdam back in front with an assist from junior midfielder Tom Benedetto (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury). The Gators stayed with the Bears for the rest of the contest, but couldn't gain the equalizer.

Between the sticks, Davies made three stops to earn the victory and Sage goalkeeper T.J. Zehner matched him.

Potsdam finished with a 17-14 advantage in shots, while the Gators had a 7-4 edge in corner kicks.

The Bears are back in action this Wednesday, Sept. 10, when they host SUNY Canton at 4 p.m.