Utica, NY – Sophomore John Furcick guessed right in overtime, hitting a hard groundball to the right corner on a penalty kick in overtime as the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team edged Utica College 2-1 in overtime Wednesday afternoon.

The Golden Knights improved to 2-1 on the season and will continue their road trip this weekend at Castleton State on Friday and The Sage Colleges on Saturday. The Pioneers fell to 2-1 on the year with the loss.

The Pioneers enjoyed some possession in the Clarkson defensive end in the early going, but didn't get anything out of it except for a few corner kick chances. It was the Golden Knights that nearly broke the scoreless tie about 16 minutes when Clarkson reversed the field and made up about 60 yards in less than five seconds, resulting in Kevin Calnan with a shot near the left post. However, Utica goalkeeper Jonathan Side slid in front of the attempt and knocked it harmlessly out of bounds. That was all for true scoring chances until Utica tallied its first shot at the 31:01 mark, which happened to end in a goal. Julian Fonseca sent a pass to Thomas Muller near the top right of the penalty box, and the forward sent a chip shot into the opposite corner over a stretching Ian Roeloffs to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.

Despite the goal, Clarkson ended the half with a 5-2 edge in shots, though it trailed 4-2 in corner kick chances.

Both teams had their chances at the start of the second period, and midway through Clarkson finally came through on one of its many scoring opportunities. Justin Packard controlled the ball on the right side and sent a centering pass into the middle, finding Mack Walton near the penalty kick hash, and the freshman finished off the play with his first collegiate goal at 67:54.

Utica and Clarkson continued to enjoy chances in the waning moments, including a pair by the Golden Knights in the final nine minutes. A header went just wide around the 8:30 mark, and with the ball being deflected the Knights earned a corner chance. Off that attempt, Kevin Calnan took a shot from about 12 yards out and the ball sailed just over the crossbar with 8:15 to go. Also in the final seconds, Calnan sent a cross into the box for one last chance before overtime, but the ball was knocked well away for any kind of attempt on the goal.

Less than two minutes into overtime, Clarkson was awarded a penalty kick chance when one of the Utica players took a Golden Knight down near the end line. The rough play proved costly for the Pioneers, as John Furcick hit a shot with his left foot into the right corner of the goal, with Utica goalie Jonathan Side sprawling in the other direction in an incorrect prediction of Furcick's try.

Ian Roeloffs denied two shots to earn his second win of the year, while Jonathan Side was busier, making seven saves for the Pioneers. Clarkson easily outshot the Pioneers 18-6, with nine of their chances on the frame. Utica owned a narrow 7-6 advantage in corner kicks.