CANTON, NY – The Union College men's soccer team played to a 0-0 draw against St. Lawrence in a rematch of last year's Liberty League Championship game at Sandy MacAllaster Field  on Saturday afternoon. Union stands a 6-1-1 (1-0-1 LL), while the Saints' record goes to 4-2-2 (1-0-1 LL).

 

The Saints jumped out quickly on their home turf, hoping to grab and early lead and put the game in the hands of their stifling defense and goaltender Emilio Coletta. Senior captain Chris Lonegan had the first chance for the Saints, who took a pass and fired a shot towards Union's keeper Rob Kramer (Westport, CT/Staples). Though Kramer couldn't come up with the ball, Lonegan's shot clanked off the post, denying the Saints the early advantage.

 

The remaining time in the first half belonged to the Dutchmen, who looked very sharp in the opening 45 minutes. They applied plenty of pressure on both the Saints backs and keeper, including ten first half shots. Chris Poey (Amherst, MA/Amherst Regional) had perhaps the best chance for the Dutchmen, but his shot was controlled by Coletta about midway through the opening half.

 

Though Union was unable to score, the offensive pressure from Union seemed to frustrate the Saints, leading to a red card for junior back Mike Bobbie with only 57 seconds to play in the first half. Bobbie got tangled up with a Union forward in front of Coletta, and when Bobbie appeared to retaliate, the referee blew the whistle and ejected only him from the contest. His exit left the Saints a man down for the remainder of the game.

 

Each team had one quality opportunity in the overtime session, with the home team's coming first in the opening overtime session. A long cross was sent into the box by a Saint midfielder, and it was a race to the ball between St. Lawrence forward James Merrill and Kramer. The Union keeper beat Merrill to the ball by a split second, just knocking it away from danger to ensure the Saints rush was shut down.

 

The Dutchmen got their chance to win the game in the second overtime when they were granted a corner kick in the waning minutes of the game. The cross was sent into the box, but Coletta courageously came out of his net to intercept the pass and preserve the tie for the Saints in a classic battle between two Liberty League rivals.

 

Coletta made six saves to extend his shutout streak to 434:21. Kramer was equally impressive for the Dutchmen, making three saves in the tie.

 

The Dutchmen finished Saturday's contest with the edge in shots (20-15) and corner kicks (4-3). They are back in action on Saturday, September 30, when they host Plattsburgh in a 6 p.m. game at College Park Field.