UNION 1, MEDAILLE 0
SCHENECTADY, NY - Senior defenseman Matthew Wentworth (North Andover, MA) scored the only goal of the game, as the Union College Dutchmen defeated the Medaille Mavericks 1-0 in an ECAC men's soccer semi-final match Saturday afternoon at College Park Field. The win advanced Union to the championship match Sunday against RPI and improves the Dutchmen to 13-3-4 overall; while the Mavericks dropped to 17-3-2 on the year.
In the 87th minute Wentworth knocked in the game winner. After a scramble in front of the Dutchmen net, goalkeeper
Rob Kramer (Westport, CT) caught the Mavericks defense off guard and sent a ball to midfield. Wentworth picked up the kick at midfield and carried the ball the remainder of the field at full speed before firing a shot past the keeper for his second goal of the year.
Union had a couple of other good opportunities in the second half to get on the board. In the 53rd minute senior
Jon Bellock (Manchester, CT) ripped a shot just wide of the net off of a rebound. Just one minute later Bellock got another opportunity off of an
Alan Fox (Pittsford, NY) cross, but Maverick goalkeeper J.J. Bilinski (Panama, NY) made the save. Union's final opportunity before finally cashing in came in the 82nd minute.
Ryan Banagan (Albany, NY) served a near perfect cross to Fox, whose shot sailed wide of the net.
The best chance for the Mavericks came in the first half. In the 16th minute Chris Griffiths (Elma, NY) corner kick crossed right into the middle of the Union defensive zone and right onto the head of freshman Eric Schnirel (West Amherst, NY). Schnirel's header was aimed for the net, but Kramer came up with the diving save.
Both goalkeepers made four saves in the contest. Union will wrap up the 2007 season tomorrow at College Park Field as the Dutchmen take on RPI in the ECAC championship match at 1:00 PM.
RPI 2, ST. JOHN FISHER 0
Schenectady, NY- Junior Jabel Prom (Middleburgh, NY) scored the first goal for the RPI Red Hawks in a 2-0 ECAC semi-final win. The win placed the Red Hawks in the ECAC championship game Sunday against Union College. RPI is now 9-6-4, while the loss dropped the St. John Fisher Cardinals to 12-8-1 on the season.
The Red Hawks first goal came in the 29th minute of the first half as Prom received a two on one cross from sophomore Michael Long (Hopkinton, NH), and put it past the Cardinals goalkeeper. Long assisted on the Red Hawks second goal of the game as well. In the second half sophomore Sean Fleury (Princeton, MA) received a feed from Long and buried it into the back of the net for his second goal in as many games.
The Cardinals had its share of chances in the game, but couldn't get one by the Red Hawks goalie Alex Penny (Northport, NY). In the 14th minute the Cardinals' Luke Lennox (Harley School, Rochester) had a one on one opportunity that sailed high of the net. Just ten minutes later another Cardinals strike from in the box was saved by Penny.
