Quincy, Mass.: The SUNY Cobleskill men's soccer team opened their 2023 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) campaign on Saturday evening falling the host Lions of Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) by a 2-1 margin in a hard-fought hard-hitting affair. With the loss the Fighting Tigers are now 1-4 overall on the year with a 0-1 record in NAC action while the Lions improve to 1-1-2 overall on the season to date including a 1-0 mark in league play.

The home team opened the scoring just before the half in the 45^th minute of action on a goal by junior defender Juan Susa, Bogata, Colombia, that made it 1-0 ENC at the break.

Cobleskill responded in the second half during the 56^th minute of play when junior forward Cody Petschko, New Hyde Park, N.Y., Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, found the back of the Lion's net to even the contest at 1-1.

However, the tie score would only last until the 67^th minute of play when Lion junior defender Rafael Romero, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain, scored the eventual game deciding goal to give the ENC the 2-1 margin of victory.

Fighting Tiger first-year goalkeeper Adam Champlin, South Kortright, N.Y., South Kortright High School, was outstanding in net for the Orange & Black making 10 saves on the evening for his second double figure save effort of the week.  

Cobleskill will return to action on Wednesday September 20 when they host the Panthers of the Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences for a non-league contest with kick-off scheduled for 4:00 p.m.