ROCHESTER, NY – The Union College men's soccer team fell to RIT in a close 1-0 decision on Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium. With the loss, the Dutchmen drop to 11-3-1 on the season and 3-3 against Liberty League opponents.
Shots were 14-6 in favor of RIT, while the Tigers took five corner kicks to two for the Dutchmen who fall into a tie for fifth in the conference standings with Vassar, one point behind RIT for the critical final playoff spot.
Senior forward Jimmy Forbes scored the game's lone goal in the 45th minute, while freshman Scott Fishel added an assist on the game winner.
RIT generated some good scoring chances early in the first half, the best coming seven minutes into the contest, when Sean Sullivan headed a ball away from the Union keeper, he gathered the ball and fired a shot from a sharp angle that went just wide of the post.
Union's defense had two key defensive saves in the first half. Tiger forward Duncan Palmer had a chance that freshman defenseman
Mike Kaye saved off the line. The rebound came to Danny Bloshkin who fired a shot that looked to be headed for the back of the net, but sophomore midfielder
Jeff Cohen was able to steer it aside for the Dutchmen.
Union's first scoring chance came with six minutes to play in the opening half when junior midfielder
Thomas Murtagh got free from the outside and a fired a good low shot that just missed the post.
RIT broke through in the 45th minute when Forbes flicked a header into the far corner off a free kick from Fishel. It was Forbes' third goal of the season and gave RIT a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Forbes had a great chance to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead when Bobby Spears chipped a service into the Union box that Forbes got a head on. This time, Dutchmen junior goalkeeper
Ryan Carter was there to make the save and keep it a one-goal game.
It looked like Union would equalize in the 65th minute when
Carl Faber had a header that looked to be destined for the left post, but Tigers goalkeeper Mark Reeves dove and made the sprawling save. Reeves was vertical to the ground and got a hand on the shot keeping the Dutchmen off the scoreboard.
Reeves picked up his seventh win of the season in net for RIT, making one save. Carter took the loss in net for Union, allowing one goal and making three saves.
The Dutchmen look to keep their Liberty League hopes alive when they welcome Vassar to the Turf at College Park on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
