Junior
Kyle Reddish and senior captain
Baker Diaz scored 22 seconds apart midway through the second half, while sophomore goalkeeper
Zach Amato recorded his sixth shutout of the season as the No. 4 St. Lawrence University men's soccer team earned a 2-0 Liberty League victory over RIT on Saturday afternoon at RIT Turf Field in Rochester, N.Y.
The Saints improved to 10-0-3 overall and 5-0-2 in Liberty League play, while the Tigers fell to 3-6-4 overall and 1-3-2 in conference action.
RIT controlled much of the first half, holding advantages in shots and corner kicks, but the St. Lawrence defense held firm behind Amato.
The sophomore goalkeeper made a save on Robin Giesing in the 12th minute, and the Tigers generated four corner kicks before halftime, but neither side could find a breakthrough as the match remained scoreless through 45 minutes.
The Tigers continued to apply pressure after the break and nearly broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when a shot by Daniel Sucato struck the crossbar. Two minutes later, Amato came up with another key save on a shot from Tony Shin to keep the match scoreless.
The Saints capitalized on their opportunity moments later.
After earning a corner kick in the 70th minute,
Grant Gilmer delivered the service that found
Kyle Reddish, who headed home his first goal of the season at the 69:35 mark to give St. Lawrence a 1-0 lead.
Just 22 seconds later, Gilmer was back on the attack, causing a turnover, and pushing down the right wing where he centered a ball to Diaz, who tapped home his third goal of the season and the Scarlet and Brown took a 2-0 advantage.
The quick-strike sequence proved to be all the offense the Saints would need.
RIT continued to push forward over the final 20 minutes, but Amato stopped chances from Shin and Micah Cornfield to preserve the shutout.
Amato finished with three saves in the clean sheet, while Kristian Dobbek was not credited with a save for the Tigers.
RIT held advantages in shots (3-2) and corner kicks (9-2), but St. Lawrence converted two of its four shots into goals.
The unbeaten Saints will head home and begin preparations for their final home match of the season, next Saturday, October 24th, against RPI. The match, which will begin at 1 p.m. on Sandy MacAllaster Field, will also serve as Senior Day for the St. Lawrence University men's soccer program.
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