NEW PALTZ, NY — The SUNY New Paltz men’s soccer team battled back from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat conference rival Fredonia State 2-1 in the league opener for both teams this afternoon.
In the third minute of the game, freshman forward Andrew Sharman found junior midfielder Michael Battisti (Buffalo, NY) to give the Blue Devils (3-3-1) an early lead.
SUNY New Paltz (1-5), who had lost three of its first five games by one goal, kept the Blue Devils off the scoreboard the rest of the way. In the 20th minute the Hawks pulled even when sophomore midfielder Chris Smith (Washingtonville, NY) set up sophomore forward Greg Foss (Queensbury, NY) for the game-tying goal.
The score remained tied until the 75th minute when sophomore forward Joe Fabian (Selden, NY) lobbed a pass into the box and Foss made sure it found the back of the net for his second goal of the day and the eventual game-winner.
Behind a strong defensive effort, sophomore goalie Jake Lammers (Highland, NY) made eight saves, including three consecutive in the final ten minutes, to preserve the victory for SUNY New Paltz.
