Men's Soccer Falls to Berkeley in Crucial Conference Game

The men's team faced off against Onondaga Community College in the annual King of the Hill Cup Oct. 4. Freshman Joseph Kulikowski scored first for the Mighty Oaks at the 12:30 mark with the help of senior Joe Marino. The Lazers quickly responded when freshman Nick Bitz tapped in a goal off a cross from sophomore Hassan Musa. The teams went into half time tied 1-1. The Mighty Oaks took a quick lead in the second half, scoring back-to-back goals from Kulikowski, his second of the night, and freshman Thys Reynold, who scored three minutes later. Lazer striker Musa knotted up the game with two goals later in the second half, sending the match into overtime. The Mighty Oaks had a few chances to finish the game in overtime but failed to connect, losing in a penalty kick shootout. The game counts as a tie for the Mighty Oaks' overall record but the Lazers take home the cup once again for the fourth year in a row.

The team met up against HVIAC conference rivals and defending conference champs Berkeley College Oct. 8. Before the game, under rainy skies, the team took a few moments to recognize its seniors, Jorge Guarin, Eric Bischof, Zack Reda, Owen Hennigan, Eitan Kiin and Jarrett Temple.

Hennigan got ESF on the board 28 minutes into the first off a rebound from a shot by sophomore George Beinetti. A minute later, the Knights scored on a breakaway goal by sophomore Ali Dawha. Freshman Mickael Myagkota scored his second goal of the season at the 40th minute on a shot that ricocheted off the Knights' goalkeeper, Osvin Vasquez, giving ESF a 2-1 lead going into the second half. The Knights tied the game up two minutes into the second half. The Mighty Oaks controlled possession for most of the second half, creating numerous scoring opportunities and rattling off 26 shots on goal in the game but could not find a way to get the ball into the back of the net. Dawha beat the Mighty Oaks defense to score the winning goal with only 30 seconds remaining in the game.

With the losses, the team falls to 7-3-1 overall, 5-2 in HVIAC conference play. The team has two games left in the 2016 season, at Alfred State Oct. 15 and Bryant and Stratton College Oct. 16.