Cobleskill, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill men's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against the Badgers of Vermont State University-Johnson in a tightly contested North Atlantic Conference (NAC) matchup on Sunday afternoon at the Cobleskill Soccer Complex.
For the second time this season, both teams finished tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes. Junior
Spencer Reisman (Youngstown, NY/Lewiston Porter) provided the Fighting Tigers' lone goal, unassisted, as he led the attack with three shots, two on target. Senior
Conor Flanigan (Troy, NY) also contributed with three shots, one on goal, while first-year defender
Joshua Sanchez (Bronx, NY/New Visions) added two shots on target.
Second-year goalkeeper
Adam Champlin (South Kortright, NY) made six saves, finishing with a .857 save percentage. His counterpart for the Badgers, Carlos Dominguez, recorded five saves as both teams showed solid defensive efforts throughout the game.
Despite both teams taking 13 shots, the Badgers held a slight advantage in shots on goal (7-6), while Cobleskill had the upper hand in corner kicks, earning six to VTSU-Johnson's two.
In the first half, both teams struggled to create clear scoring opportunities as strong defensive play ruled. Cobleskill nearly broke the deadlock when first-year
Tyler Szarek (Westmoreland, NY) backheeled a shot from a scramble in the box, only to be denied by a Badger defender's goal-line clearance.
The second half saw increased intensity with both teams vying for a crucial NAC victory. Johnson opened the scoring in the 70th minute when Jeabets Kasongo headed home a cross from Jonathan Cayole. However, Cobleskill responded just six minutes later when Reisman capitalized on a loose ball from a corner kick, skillfully dribbling past defenders before slotting it between the goalkeeper's legs to tie the game at 1-1.
In the 78th minute, Champlin made a critical save to keep the match level. Cobleskill had a golden chance to secure the win in the 87th minute when Reisman found Flanigan in the box, but Dominguez made a game-saving stop to preserve the tie.
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Saturday, October 26th, when they host SUNY Delhi at 1:00 p.m. for another NAC contest.