Keuka men’s soccer battled through a defensive struggle Saturday afternoon, but the Wolves were unable to find the equalizer in a narrow road loss to SUNY Potsdam.
The Wolves fell to 0-2 on the season after being held to just two shots, both coming from Cameron Bates. SUNY Potsdam controlled much of the attacking play, but Jakob Snyder kept Keuka within striking distance throughout the contest with seven saves.
Snyder was tested early, making two saves in the seventh minute as the Bears applied pressure in the opening stages. The Keuka goalkeeper continued to keep the hosts off the scoreboard, recording five saves before halftime as the teams entered the break tied.
SUNY Potsdam continued to apply pressure after the restart, earning three corner kicks in roughly a minute early in the second half. Keuka’s defense managed to withstand the sustained attack until the Bears finally broke through in the 61st minute.
The Wolves attempted to respond immediately, earning a corner kick just 30 seconds later, but they could not turn the opportunity into a shot.
Keuka had one final chance to force overtime in the closing seconds. A foul with 11 seconds remaining gave the Wolves a free kick, and Bates put the attempt on target. However, the SUNY Potsdam goalkeeper made the save to preserve the shutout and hand Keuka another narrow defeat.
The Wolves will return home Wednesday, September 9, when they host Alfred State College at 7 p.m. The matchup will be the first between the two programs since 2014.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.