DAN ORZECHOWSKI
Special to The Leader
Fredonia’s men’s soccer team left the home crowd in applause as they beat John Carroll University in a 2-0 victory. The Blue Devils bounced back from a tough loss against Geneseo as they approach a series of conference games.
With eight games left, and seven of them being conference games, Head Coach P.J. Gondek feels optimistic about the upcoming schedule.
“With the seven upcoming conference games, if we win four of those, we should make the playoffs,” said Gondek.
Despite the win, Gondek said the team can still make adjustments. The offensive front is quite capable of finding ways to score. In contrast, the Blue Devil defense could focus on organization and communication among each other.
Senior Parker Healy, who scored in the second half, agreed with Gondek and added that “the team could pay more attention to counter defending.”
Under the lights, Sam Greco was the first to find the net in the 31st minute with an assist from fellow senior Keith Braun. In the second half Greco shared the magic when he dished the ball to Healy, who also managed to do some damage. Healy tacked on another goal, raising Fredonia’s lead to 2-0. Thanks to the Blue Devil defense and goalkeeper Ty Bentham, John Carroll failed to score, letting Fredonia walk away with a clean sheet.
Although this game was not against conference competition, the win still mattered. Fredonia played John Carroll years back in a NCAA tournament, and the results didn’t bode well for the Blue Devils. Although this was a while back, the win still had a hint of revenge.
The Blue Devils’ next game is Oct. 1, where they will face a hot Buffalo State team. Buffalo State is rolling with a four game win streak and currently placed second in the conference. This is one of the final three home games Fredonia plays in the regular season. A Blue Devil win would improve the team to a conference record of 2-1, as well as help secure a playoff spot.