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In another unfortunate upset, the RIT men’s soccer team fell to Clarkson University’s Golden Knights on September 19, bringing the Tiger’s overall record to 2-4-1. RIT couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous day to try avenging their 1-0 loss to St. Lawrence just the day before. As the players took the field, they moved with a sense of purpose, maintaining their determination as the game begun.

Just after kick off, RIT easily gained control of the ball, consistently challenging the nervous Knight defense with a series of daring solo attempts on goal by second year Mechanical Engineering major Jon Rosebrook, first year Computer Science and Film Production major Matt Broedel, and fourth year Mechanical Engineering major and Captain Chris Somers. The brutal back and forth at midfield kept both sides alert, but the Tiger defense quickly shut down any threatening advancements.

The Golden Knights only had a handful of shots on goal in the first half, all of which were deftly deflected by the agile maneuvers of goalkeeper, first year Business Administration major, Bora Turgut. He almost appeared bored until the sporadic, half-hearted Clarkson shots became more frequent.

With nine minutes remaining, Rosebrook charged the Clarkson keeper, managing to place the ball just out of the goalie’s reach. The crowd’s adrenaline rose just before an ill-timed foul robbed the Tigers of what would have been their lead. The savagely, overeager Tiger defense stepped up the aggression as the first half came to a close, accumulating a few unnecessary fouls and unintentionally injuring a Clarkson midfielder. This prompted the referees to bark warnings at a handful of indignant players while the coaches collected themselves on the sidelines. As the buzzer sounded signifying the end of the half, the players retreated to their benches, visibly upset to leave the board scoreless.

Foster Snell/SportsZone

At the start of the second half, RIT appeared more stoic and focused than they had before, assuming their positions with fervor. It became apparent that winning the game was all just a question of which team wanted it more. The Tigers got off to a fierce start, holding down the Clarkson offense with the same intensity seen in the first half, but they seemed to have difficulty controlling the ball.

The Tigers began to bunch up at inopportune times, effectively preventing any possible shots on goal. However, Clarkson took advantage of RIT’s cramped positioning to clear the ball downfield for the first goal of the game in the 48th minute. Somers bounced right back, continuously challenging the Knight’s defense. Unfortunately, the rest of his team just could not put the upsetting goal behind them and continued to struggle.

The lack of offensive control placed greater emphasis on the Tigers’ tough defense, who repelled the ball with ease. Time continued to eat away, and the evenly matched teams essentially kept each other locked in a stalemate. With three minutes left on the clock, the Tigers’ arguably selfish offensive play evolved into smarter decision-making. The crowd could only hope that it wasn’t too late.

As the clock struck zero, RIT was left without a goal and upset. Even though the conditions were perfect, the Tigers just couldn’t pull it together fast enough. Hopefully, the Tigers can put the loss behind them and prepare themselves for their next match against Stevens.

The September 26 match against Stevens resulted in 0-4 loss.