Eaton Leads Saxons to Huge Empire 8 Victory at Home
ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University men's soccer team hosted Houghton College at Yunevich Stadium on Saturday. The Saxons (5-10, 1-3 Empire 8) picked up a much needed conference victory with a 2-1 win over the Highlanders.
Justin Eaton (Williamson, NY / Williamson) continued his standout first season as a Saxon as he netted both goals on the day for AU.
The first goal of the day came in the 25th minute of the first half as Eaton broke away from defenders and crossed a shot that found the right back corner of the net to give Alfred the 1-0 advantage.
Houghton answered just minutes later with a shot that deflected off of a Saxon defender causing it to spin enough to sneak past the Alfred goalkeeper.
AU did not waste any time and took advantage of another opportunity in the 34th minute when Charles Hawkins (Goshen, NY / Goshen) sent a pass forward to Eaton who ran by the Houghton defenders and finished the play by putting the ball into the back of the net.
At the end of the first half, Alfred led Houghton by a score of 2-1.
After an offensive first half, the second half turned into a physical defensive battle.
Eaton and company had multiple opportunities throughout the second period to add to the Saxon lead but all of those attempts sailed wide or were stopped by the Houghton goalkeeper.
The Highlanders had opportunities themselves but the AU defense held its ground and kept the ball out of the net and came away with the huge Empire 8 victory.
The Saxons will be home again next Saturday as they host Utica College on senior day at 5PM in Yunevich Stadium.
