Potsdam, NY – Junior Matias Pena (Port Washington, NY) rocketed a shot in from about 10 yards out early in the second half for the game-winner, lifting the Clarkson University Men’s Soccer team to its third straight victory in a 2-1 win over RIT Saturday afternoon at Clarkson Field.

The Golden Knights improved to 4-2-1 on the season and are on a four-game unbeaten streak. The Tigers dropped to 1-4 overall with their fourth consecutive loss, three of which have come by a single goal.

Clarkson goalkeeper Mike St. Croix (Watertown, NY) saw a 240-plus minute stretch without allowing a goal come to an end when Jeff Diaz found Bobby Bullard with a cross through the penalty area at 15:33. Bullard headed the ball in to give RIT a 1-0 lead, the first time the Knights have trailed in four games.

The Golden Knights were quick to respond with a goal of their own at 21:17 when senior Cale Samuel (Mississauga, ONT) scored his second goal of the season, blasting a shot from the right side of the penalty area into the top of the goal, with the assist going to sophomore Andrew Ensinger (Rochester, NY).

While the two teams were able to record goals in quick succession, neither team mustered much in the way of shots offensively as Clarkson held a small 5-4 lead. Corner kick opportunities were more plentiful, with the Knights holding a 6-3 advantage in that category.

The Knights were the only team to get many shots early on in the second half and they took the lead in the first third of the second half. Samuel took a pass and went all the way down to the end line near the penalty area and sent a pass into the box. Sophomore Scott Desmond (Enfield, CT) deflected the ball over to junior Matias Pena, who followed with a hard shot from the middle of the field about 10 yards out for his first goal of the season and second of his career.

Mike St. Croix made a single save in the victory for the Knights, while RIT’s Alan Smith stopped five shots. Clarkson finished with identical leads in shots and corner kicks (10-6).