Potsdam, NY - For the second straight day, a slight lapse in judgment cost the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team a victory as Rensselaer took advantage of an open shot to earn a 1-0 win in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon at Clarkson Field.
The Golden Knights fell to 2-5-1 overall and 0-2 in the conference while the Red Hawks edged back up over .500 at 4-3-1 and 1-1 in the Liberty League.
Though Rensselaer out shot Clarkson 5-2 in the first half, neither team came up with great chances. On two occasions midway through the opening half, the Knights had crosses that almost found the heads of their strikers, but the Red Hawks were able
to clear the ball away.
The Red Hawks had a tremendous opportunity early in the second half when the ball was mishandled by Clarkson keeper Johnathon Rushing (Paw Paw, MI), but he quickly recovered and was able to make a save on a point-blank shot by Gary Sroka. The ball careened back out to Mike Long, but fortunately a Clarkson defender was able to deflect it out of the zone to keep the game scoreless.
The scoreless drought broke in the 62nd minute for the Red Hawks when Sean Fleury crossed the ball from the corner into the penalty area, finding a wide open Gary Sroka, who was able to calmly chip it in from 10 yards out for his third goal of the season. Rensselaer smartly spent the last 15 minutes keeping the ball away from the Knights and held on for the victory.
Rensselaer finished the game with a 12-4 advantage in shots and a 4-2 lead in corner kicks. Rushing finished with six saves for Clarkson and Alex Penny earned his third win of the season in goal for Rensselaer, making one stop for the shutout.
