UTICA, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men's soccer team fell to the Saint Joseph (CT) Blue Jays 5-3 in the season opener. The Wildcats went down 3-0 in the first half but scored three unanswered goals to tie the game early in the second half. The Blue Jays ultimately won the game down the stretch with a pair of late goals. The Wildcats are now 0-1 this season.
The Blue Jays got off to a strong start in the first half, scoring three unanswered goals. Emmanuel Ofori opened the scoring in the ninth minute, assisted by Michael Torres. Henry McGarrah V followed up with an unassisted goal at 12:18, and Dane Stephens found the back of the net at 37:56, assisted by Michael Torres. Jephte Joseph scored a late goal in the first to cut the deficit to one. The goal was assisted by Edward Greene.
SUNY Poly fought back in the second half, starting with an early goal by Payton Bennett at 52:17. Abus Mohamed-Ali played a ball into Bennet on the right side. Bennett hit a great left-footed shot to the bottom left to beat the goalkeeper. Poly did not waste any time, scoring the game-tying goal just 30 seconds later on another Jephte Joseph goal from the middle of the box. Jael Casimir recorded his first career assist on the goal.
Saint Joseph secured the win with two unanswered goals to close out the game. Nicholas Simpson scored at 59:38, assisted by Emmanuel Ofori, and Emmanuel Ofori netted an unassisted goal at 85:24.
El Hadji Anne made six saves in goal for Saint Joseph to earn the win. Ryan Primus made seven saves for SUNY Poly.
The game featured a total of 19 shots by Saint Joseph and 21 shots by SUNY Poly. Corner kicks were 4-6 in favor of SUNY Poly, while fouls were 9-5 in favor of Saint Joseph.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will host Pitt.-Bradford on Sunday, September 3rd. The game is scheduled for a 12:00 PM start at SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field.
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About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)
SUNY Poly is charting a path to become New York State's and the nation's premier public polytechnic. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, game design, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its campus located in Utica. Complementing the campus experience and our hands-on approach to providing an affordable, targeted education for in-demand careers, you will also find thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities. For more information visit www.sunypoly.edu.