GENESEO, N.Y.- The SUNY Geneseo men's soccer team defeated Hartwick College, 1-0, in their first Empire 8 clash on Saturday afternoon. In a brief pre-game ceremony to commemorate SUNY Geneseo's first home Empire 8 contest, Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano presented SUNY Geneseo President Denise Battles with a gift to honor the historic event.

HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• The Knights had a couple chance early in the game to get on the scoreboard, but weren't able to convert. First-year forward Ali Shabani attempted an acrobatic one-time finish that sailed over the crossbar in the 8th minute. Then junior forward Dylan Thody nearly slipped the ball past the Hawks' goaltender on a breakaway attempt in the 18th but was denied with a leg save.  

• With the score knotted at 0-0 in the second half, fifth-year defender Jake Depaoli found senior midfielder Stefen Nikolic on a one-timed cross that Nikolic buried into the back of the net with his head in the 48th minute to put Geneso ahead 1-0.  

• Senior forward Vasion Sinjari connected with senior defender Eric Famularo on a cross from a dead-ball free kick, where Famularo got his head on the cross but was denied by the goalkeeper in the 56th minute.  

• Senior goalkeeper Vincent Maronski and first-year goalkeeper Max Crothall played 45 minutes each and combined to keep the Hawks scoreless.  

QUICK FACTS:  

• The game marked Geneseo's first home Empire 8 game and was only the second meeting all-time between the two programs. The previous matchup between Hartwick and Geneseo was a 2-1 Knights victory in 2019.  

• First-year goalkeeper Max Crothall played his first minutes for the Knights and kept a clean sheet in the final 45 minutes of play.  

• Senior midfielder Stefen Nikolic continued his hot start to the season, adding his second goal of the season and a team-best six points.

WHAT'S NEXT?

SUNY Geneseo (2-0-2) will take on Alfred State (4-2) on Wednesday, September 18th, at 6 p.m. in Alfred.