POTSDAM, NY—The SUNY Potsdam men’s soccer team jumped out to an early lead, but SUNY Geneseo (4-2-1, 1-0 SUNYAC) rallied for the 2-1 victory. Senior defender Jon Reeves (Macedon, N.Y./Pal-Mac) scored for the Bears in the game’s sixth minute, but Knight senior forward Ben Ariola (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) scored to cap the Geneseo comeback in the 89th minute.

In its home and SUNYAC opener, Potsdam came out energized and the Bears offensive pressure resulted in two quick corner kicks. On the second, freshman forward Alex Minsker (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) sent the kick into the box and Reeves was there to drive it home for the 1-0 lead at the 5:52 mark. Slowly, the momentum shifted back in Geneseo’s favor and in the 17th minute the Knights tied the score. Geneseo junior midfielder Matt Solimano (Webster, N.Y./Thomas) sent a high pass from just outside the box and junior forward Ian Mort (Rochester, N.Y/McQuaid) netted the equalizer. In the 27th minute, the Knights nearly took the lead as freshman defender Pat Lynch (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) fired a shot from well outside the box that bounced through a crowd in front of the Potsdam goal and hit the post. The score remained tied at the half.

The Knights raised their play further in the second half, keeping the Bears on the defensive. However, Potsdam’s defenders were up to the challenge for most of the final 45 minutes. With overtime in sight, the Knights made a final push and were rewarded with two corner kicks in the last three minutes. The second resulted in a loose ball scramble and Ariola bagged the game-winner with 1:06 left.

Geneseo senior goalkeeper Mike Madarasz (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) finished with one save for the win.

Bears Head Coach Adam Parker gave credit to the Knights for earning the win.

“We knew we were going to have to grind it out against this team,” said Parker. “We were able to get the goal early and the slower pace was to our advantage in the first half. Geneseo came out harder in the second half and we were never able to get back out on top.”

Parker was also pleased with the strong play of Reeves and Glackin.

“Jon (Reeves) played really well today and Joe (Glackin) did a nice job for us too,” added Parker.

Potsdam (1-5-1, 0-1) closes out the weekend tomorrow, with a 2 p.m. match against SUNY Brockport.