MARCY, N.Y. - Saturday's home opener for the Wildcats proved to be an exciting one at SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field. The men's soccer team earned their first NEAC win of the season over Wells College 4-3 in double overtime. Benjamin Alonge (Elmont, N.Y.) had his mark all over this game, playing a role in all four Wildcat scoring plays. The senior had three goals and assisted on the game winner in the second overtime period.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Wells got off to a good start, scoring the opening goal just two minutes into the game when an inaccurate clearance pass was intercepted and drilled into the net by Dylan Wagstaff. The Wildcats answered in the 12th minute when an Evan Chaires (Sherrill, N.Y.) cross found Benjamin Alonge in the box who scored his first goal of the game. The Express scored twice more in the first half to take a 3-1 lead.

Before the first half buzzer sounded, Alonge found the back of the net again, this time off a pass from Abdoulaye Toure (Dakar, Senegal).

Benjamin Alonge added a third goal to his stat line right out of the gates in the second half when Kason Sneyder (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) found an opening to place a cross in from the right side for Alonge, who had an open net to shoot at. He made the most out of the opportunity, tying the game, which would ultimately go into double overtime.

TURNING POINT:

After the Wildcats and the Express battled it out for an extra 17 minutes and 49 seconds, the game was decided by a walk-off goal scored by Richie Morris (Spanish Town, Jamaica).

The play started when Benjamin Alonge dribbled deep into Wells territory, marked tightly by Express defenders. Alonge was able to get off a cross near the end line that made its way under the defenders challenge and the outstretched arms of the Wells goalkeeper to find Richie Morris who had an inside line on his defender. Morris made the most out of the good positioning and the nice pass, knocking home the game winning goal for the Wildcats.

NOTABLES:

• Benjamin Alonge finished the game with an outstanding seven points on three goals and an assist. That brings his season total to nine points on four goals and an assist.
• Nathan Laughlin (Cohoes, N.Y.) made five saves in the game en route to his second win of the season.
• Richie Morris was the hero of the game, scoring his first goal of the season in the second overtime period.
• Kason Sneyder, Evan Chaires, and Abdoulaye Toure each had an assist in the game.
• Dylan Wagstaff, Christian Garavito, and Junger Vargas each scored a goal for the Express.
• Colton Jaquith made five saves in goal for Wells. He is now 2-5 on the year.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats will host Alfred State on Wednesday, September 19th at SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field. The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM. The last time that the Pioneers and Wildcats met was in 2017 when the Wildcats earned a 3-1 win on the road.