COLONIE, N.Y. – The Southern Vermont College men's soccer team took to the road Wednesday night and lost a close match to The Sage Colleges by a 2-1 margin.
Offense was hard to come by in the first half, despite each team having their chances. The Mountaineers (0-5)were able to get off two shots in the first, with the Gators (5-1) taking five of their own. Neither team was able to finish their opportunities, however, and the score remained 0-0 at the half.
Senior Chris Hansen (Raymertown, N.Y.) played at right striker for the first time in an SVC uniform; he was one of the stronger Mountaineers in the match, yet unable to capitalize on a hard-fought effort in the opening period.
SVC came out strong in the second and went right after Sage. Freshman midfielder Ruben Olivares (Pico Rivera, Calif.) connected for his first goal of the season on a pass from freshman Tyler Hickey (Clifton Park, N.Y.) in the 58th minute to break the scoreless action.
Sage's sophomore midfielder Gustavo Trinidad (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) tied the action with a penalty kick at the 67:55 mark. A momentary lapse of Mountaineer defense led to Gators' junior forward Michael Sparrin (Ilion, N.Y.) breaking the tie on a feed from Trinidad in the 73rd for his fifth goal of the season.
"We're playing better," said SVC head coach Tim Penrod. "From the start of the week to the end, we improved, and that's all you can ask for as a coach. We're just missing a few key pieces to the puzzle right now, but by the time conference play comes, I think we'll have those pieces in place."
SVC's sophomore goalkeeper Brenden Shea (North Providence, R.I.) recorded four saves in the loss, while the Gators' freshman TJ Zehner (Beacon, N.Y.) also made four on the night.
SVC returns to action at 1 p.m. on Sunday when they visit Wheaton (Mass.). The Gators next play at 2 p.m. on Saturday when they host Sarah Lawrence at the Bethlehem SoccerPlex in Glenmont, N.Y.