ONEONTA, NY – Despite numerous excellent chances late in the second half and in the overtime periods, the Hartwick men's soccer team had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their Empire 8 opener at home against Keuka on Saturday. The Hawks are now 3-1-2 on the season, while the Wolves are 1-5-1. Both sides are 0-0-1 in conference play.
The first half saw the hosts with a decided shot advantage, at 6-2. It was the Wolves, however, who had what was likely the best chance to score of the opening 45 minutes. Jonathan Ceysaire took a try at goal in the 37th minute, but Hartwick goalie Jodi Johnson (Seaford, DE/Sussex Technical) earned his keep by stopping the ball in its tracks.
The second half opened with a bang, as Keuka earned a penalty under two minutes in. Ceysaire stepped up the penalty spot but Johnson was again up to the task, diving to keep the game scoreless. The Wolves kept at it, though, and eventually scored the day's first goal in the 50th minute. Benjamin McKeown lined up for a free kick about five yards in front of the center circle and managed to just get one past the outstretched fingertips of Johnson and into the net.
After a somewhat controversial non-penalty call in the 58th minute that earned the Hartwick bench a yellow card, 'Wick tied it up in the 61st. After being sent in on a break, Joey Bertone (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) chipped one over the keeper that Peter Crawford (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) found for a tap-in.
That was all the scoring the day would see, as despite many excellent chances to find a winner (including a Tyler Muir (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) header in the 78th and a goal-bound Jake Zona (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) header off a corner in the second overtime that was barely saved by Cory Cangemi) the Hawks could not send one across the line.
Zona continued his excellent play this season, matching his career high of six shots. Muir and Jim Mahony (Bournemouth, England/Bournemouth Collegiate) also fared well, putting up three tries towards goal apiece. Johnson played all 110 minutes in net, making three saves.
The Hawks dominated the shot count, leading 22 to 8 (9 to 4 on target). They also had a massive advantage in corner kicks, at 10 to 1.
'Wick will play again this Wednesday on Elmore against Morrisville, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.
Make sure to catch the latest news on all your favorite Hartwick Hawks teams by following @HawkTalk on Twitter, @hartwickhawks on Instagram, and by liking 'Hartwick Hawks' on Facebook.
