Upstate Update - Week 7

By Mani Tafari

The Upstate Update brings you up to speed on Division III men's soccer in the "Upstate" New York region, home to the SUNYAC, Liberty League, and Empire 8. Several key matches will be recapped each week along with a more in-depth look at a Game of the Week.

Game of the Week

Ithaca at Clarkson

Saturday, October 22

The game of the week takes us to Potsdam, New York where the surprise team of the Liberty League, Clarkson (7-3-2 / 3-0-2), takes on the highly ranked and hugely talented Ithaca Bombers (10-2-1 / 3-1-0).

The past three seasons has seen Ithaca enter the Liberty League and become a dominant team in the region despite failing to reach the NCAA tournament during that time.

The last trip Ithaca took to the neighborhood saw them lose last season’s conference finals in heart breaking penalty kicks.

Clarkson has been a team on the rise in recent years. With a new coaching staff after the departure of former Coach Taylor, Clarkson showed early promise last season before running out of gas in October.

The Season Thus Far

This would be a meeting of two undefeated teams as Ithaca had registered signature league wins and was looking to punch their ticket to the conference tournament before mid-October.

The Golden Knights are in the midst of their best season in a generation and a win over a highly ranked opponent would do wonders for their playoff seeding come November.

Game On

The Golden Knights struck just over two minutes into the contest as their fans were just getting settled in to enjoy the game.

The goal was scored when Clarkson earned their first corner kick of the game. Matt Adamou stepped up and bent a sweet left footed shot off the far post and into the back of the net.

The Clarkson defense stood strong for the remainder of the competition to earn their fourth consecutive shut out and maintain their impressive unbeaten streak in conference play.

The Bombers would go on to outshoot Clarkson 9-5 in the contest, but the Golden Knights had the edge in the only statistic that counts.

Take Away

Clarkson is the top team in the Liberty League.

Ithaca are still in good position in the league and nationally but must avoid further slippage as they battle for a conference crown.

Around the Region

RPI (11-1-1 / 3-0-1) 1, Skidmore (5-4-3 / 1-3-1) 1 (2OT) - RPI is having an amazing season while Skidmore is still hanging on to life.

Hobart (9-3-1 / 3-1-1) 3, Vassar (5-6-1 / 2-2-0) 0 - Hobart once again brandish their class against a conference foe.

Oneonta (12-1-0 / 5-0-0) 1, Cortland (6-4-2 / 2-2-1) 0 - In the battle of Red Dragons, Oneonta comes out on top. Both teams still looking good in the difficult SUNYAC.

RIT (4-6-1 / 2-2-0) 3, St. Lawrence (4-6-1 / 1-3-1) 2 - Things go from bad to worse for St. Lawrence as they face Vassar at the weekend in a must win.

Buffalo (11-2-0 / 4-2-0) 2, Geneseo (5-7-1 / 1-4-1) 0 - The Bengals are looking to challenge the Red Dragons for SUNYAC superiority.

Union (9-3-0 / 2-3-0) 1, Bard (1-10-1 / 0-5-0) 0 - Union fighting hard for post season play as Bard loses another heart breaker.

Elmira (8-3-2 / 2-1-1) 1, Alfred (4-10-0 / 1-3-0) 0 - Elmira gets a quality win over Alfred.

Oswego (8-4-1 / 3-1-1) 2, New Paltz (5-0-0 / 2-3-0) 1 - Anthony Paris’ 83rd minute goal wins it for Oswego.

Chicago (6-1-4 / 2-0-0) 2, Rochester (7-4-0 / 0-2-0) 0 - Back to back losses raises some concerns in Rochester.

Skidmore (5-4-3 / 1-3-1) 2, Vassar (5-6-1 / 2-2-0) 0 - Consecutive winning season record is on the line for the Brewers this year.

Plattsburgh (6-6-0 / 4-1-0) 3, Potsdam (3-10-1 / 1-4-0) 0 - A very impressive win for the Cardinals as the Bears continue to struggle.

Medaille (8-4-2 / 6-0-1) 3, D’Youville (7-8-0 / 3-4-0) 0 - Slight set back for the Spartans who will look to regroup this weekend.

Team of the Week

RPI

Engineering an amazing season.

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