Stony Brook Men’s Soccer looked to continue its three-game winning streak on Tuesday, Oct. 2 against No. 21-ranked Fordham, but was held to a scoreless draw after severe weather conditions forced the game to be called following regulation.
The closest scoring opportunity in the matchup was the questionable decision by the referees to wave off a Stony Brook goal with less than 10 minutes remaining in full time.
Head coach Ryan Anatol was optimistic about his team’s performance in the matchup despite the tie.
“Tough game against a good opponent tonight,” Anatol said in a press release. “We started a little slowly but after the first 15 minutes we settled and created some really good opportunities. Little disappointed after creating a goal late and having it disallowed in a bizarre manner and then having the weather impact the overtime.”
Both teams were about equal in shots taken, as Stony Brook trailed Fordham by just a single shot in the game. Fordham had the first three shots of the matchup, including an opportunity that rattled off the post in the 8th minute of action.
The Seawolves were able to get some opportunities of their own, as senior midfielder Serge Gamwanya took charge in the first half. Gamwanya took all of the team’s four first-half shots, with two close opportunities in the 21st and 25th minute, respectively. Gamwanya had his first shot saved by Rams senior goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu and followed up with a header that soared above the net a few minutes after.
The second half began with a close opportunity for Fordham, as senior midfielder Janos Loebe sent a shot towards freshman goalkeeper Christian Miesch, which was denied. Miesch finished his second consecutive clean sheet with four total saves. This marks the first time that a Stony Brook keeper has had back-to-back shutouts since Tom McMahon in 2016.
As the final whistle blew, severe thunderstorms over the Bronx forced referees to stop the game before extra time, leaving both teams with a draw. The Seawolves’ overall record moves to 5-3-2 on the year. The team is currently outscoring opponents 8-2 in its four game unbeaten streak.
Anatol considers the close opportunities to be good experience for his team in upcoming matches.
“Overall it was a positive performance and result, and now we will refocus and prepare for an important conference game on Saturday,” Anatol said.
Stony Brook looks to extend its 2-0 conference record as it continues action against America East rival Binghamton on Saturday, Oct. 6 in Vestal, New York. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
