MARCY, N.Y. - The SUNYIT Men's Soccer Team (3-2-0) won an incomparably exciting game Wednesday night, 2-1 over the visiting Clarkson Golden Knights. The Wildcats wallowed behind a one-goal deficit for the first 85 minutes of the game, and appeared all but resigned to a disappointing loss in front of a packed home crowd. With just 4:49 seconds remaining in the contest, first-year player Anthony Surber (Miller Place, N.Y. / Half Hollow Hills) brought the crowd to its feet with an incredible pass from just a few paces inside the mid-line. Surber placed the long pass perfectly on the head of a streaking Josh Kimber (Chittenango, N.Y. / Chittenango), who headed it home to tie the game 1-1.
The only thing more incredible than the pass by Surber is the 6-4 senior's back-story: a four-year baseball standout for SUNYIT, the lanky defender hasn't played competitive soccer since high school.
Of course, great plays were made on both ends of the pass, as the junior Kimber's header was truer than gravity, soaring crisply into the right side of the net.
Before the crowd had even sat down, Wildcat star Diego Montaleza (New York, N.Y. / MLK) finished off the SUNYIT comeback, beating the keeper at the 86:03 mark - not even a minute after Kimber's goal. Montaleza was the beneficiary of a great touch by senior Mario Gomez (Rome, N.Y. / Rome Free Academy), who kept the ball alive after the Wildcats booted it deep into Golden Knight territory.
SUNYIT played behind for the majority of the game due to a Golden Knight goal in the 43rd minute by Alex Vozzella. Vozzella dribbled through the SUNYIT defense before firing a shot that ricocheted off the cross bar and into the goal. The shot was so surprising, in fact, that SUNYIT goalie Malick Faye (Bronx, N.Y. / MLK) barely moved.
The game-winning goal by Montaleza was the junior's team-leading third of the season, while both the goal by Kimber and the assist by Surber were each player's first points of the year.
With the impressive win over a strong regional opponent, the Wildcats get exactly the type of momentum they need heading into conference play on Saturday at Morrisville St. Game time is set for 3:00 pm.
