ONEONTA, NY – Call it Fortress Elmore. The Hartwick men's soccer team ran their 2021 home record to 5-0-2 on Wednesday night, pumping SUNY Delhi 22-1 in shots in a 2-0 win. The Hawks are now 5-2-2 overall on the year, while the Broncos drop to 2-7-1.
The glorious chances came fast and furious for the home side, starting in the sixth minute when Jimmy Noel's (Cap Haitian, Haiti/Baldwin) shot was headed to the back of the net until it slammed into the back of an unfortunately placed Matteo Sweet (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham Wading River). About 12 minutes had gone when the Hawks had another near miss, as Sweet played Jake Zona (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) through and Zona in turn sent a ball that would have been a tap in for Peter Crawford (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) had it not been just out of the reach of his outstretched foot.
The 15th minute saw Crawford connect with the ball this time, but he sent one wide after an attempted Delhi clearance bounced off his face and left him in alone. 'Wick threw a couple more dangerous crosses into the box over the next several minutes, but it was Zona that nearly cracked the ice, sending a free header in the 23rd minute just wide right.
The Broncos' lone shot came in the 28th minute, and it had the potential to be a dangerous one. A Hawks turnover left Michael Williams, Jr. in all alone but either indecision or a simple miskick caused him to dribble one softly at Hartwick keeper Jackson Gilstrap (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) for the save. The half's final significant chance came in minute 38, as Joey Bertone's (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) free kick a few yards out from the corner of the box found Ben Hulbert's (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) head for a shot that went high.
The story was the same to start the second half, as the Hawks sent chance after chance at the goal only to be stymied one way or another. Nik Heasley (Hudson Falls, NY/Hudson Falls) had the first of those tries, as while facing away from the net in the goal area he heeled a loose ball off a corner towards the goal, but it was cleared off the line by a Bronco. There were a couple more excellent chances off corners around the 61-minute mark, and then a well-struck Peter Crawford effort in the 64th minute that took a diving Jonathan Walch save to keep the game scoreless.
It was Crawford's effort that led directly to the next chance as well, and this one ended up in the back of the net. Walch took Crawford down in the box, sending Jim Mahony (Bournemouth, England/Bournemouth Collegiate) to the penalty spot. Mahony made no mistake, driving one into the left side of the net for the 1-0 lead on the 64th minute.
There was a case to be made (certainly from the Hartwick bench) for another Crawford-drawn penalty just a couple minutes later, but this time the referee determined that the sophomore striker was in the wrong and issued Crawford a yellow card. Bertone nearly made it 2-0 early on in the 69th minute, but got the job done in the 71st as his first shot off a Noel cross was stopped but the second was not, providing 'Wick with some much-desired insurance and essentially putting the game away.
Bertone, Mahony, and Crawford each tied for the game-high with three shots, while Heasley, Ryan Cooke (Merrick, NY/Bellmore JFK), and Brady Cummings (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham Wading River) had two apiece. Gilstrap tended to the net for the first 45 minutes, making one save, and Jodi Johnson (Seaford, DE/Sussex Technical) played the second half to earn the win.
'Wick returns to work this Saturday, as they look for their first Empire 8 win against Alfred. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. on Elmore Field.
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.
