SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Junior
Robbie Michalski scored twice and first-year Head Coach
Matt Brown secured his first win with the Union College men's soccer team on Sunday evening as the Dutchmen cruised to a 5-1 win over Sage College on College Park Field.
Along with Michalski's two goals, senior
Evan Farr and sophomore
Diego Pascual-Sanchiz also found the back of the net. Farr tallied two assists, Pascual-Sanchiz added an assists, first-year
Justin Ely tallied an assist and senior Chrsitain Rufo also chipped in with a helper. Head Coach
Matt Brown also won his first game at the helm for the Dutchmen.
Following an early red card to a Sage College forward just nine minutes into the game. Union quickly responded when Ely gathered in a pass and sent a ball up tp Michalski who was able to make a quick tough to Pascual-Sanchiz and he dribbled past a defender and took a shot on the left side 18-yard box and was able to beat the goalkeeper. This was Pascual-Sanchiz's first of the year. Ely's assist on the first goal of the game was his first collegiate point. This gave Union a 1-0 lead.
Union extended their lead in the 24th minute when Michalski gathered Farr's pass through the defense and was able to one touch by the goaltender and finish the shot cleanly inside the far-left post. This tally was Michalski's first of the season.
The first half action continued into the second half, as Union struck again in the 55th minute. It was Michalski finding space behind the Gator's defense and he was able to chip the Sage goalkeeper this time to give Union a 3-0 lead and score his second goal of the game. Farr and Pasucal-Sanchiz were credited with assists on the goal.
Sage would not go away without a fight and cut the Union lead to two with a goal in the 58
th minute.
Senior
Evan Farr regained Union's three goal lead with a rocket of a shot coming off a throw in from Rufo. Farr gathered the pass and in one spin, turned and beat the goalie inside the far-left post, making it 4-1 Dutchmen. Just two minutes later, Union would extend their lead when sophomore
Alan Daniel whipped a cross into the box from the right-side corner and the ball deflected off a Sage defender and into the back of the net for an own goal. This made it 5-1 Union and that result would hold.
Union (1-0-1) out shot Sage 14-4 in the contest and won the corner battle as well with eight opportunities to Sage's two. Union improves to 6-0-2 in eight meetings with Sage College including winning their last four against the Gators.
The Dutchmen will now hit the road as they take on SUNY Oneonta on Tuesday evening. Kick off is at 5 p.m. in Oneonta, N.Y.