Anderson scores last-minute goal in 2-1 thriller
8/30/21 by Kyle Reina
Heading in to second overtime, the Binghamton men’s soccer team was drawn 1-1 with Colgate in its opening matchup of the season. In the waning seconds of the period, BU earned a throw-in on the left side of the pitch. Junior back Michael Bush stepped up to the line and hurled a long ball into the box, meeting the head of redshirt sophomore forward Rory Anderson. The header escaped the Colgate goalkeeper and landed in the back of the net, earning the Bearcats a 2-1 season-opening victory and a first career goal for Anderson.
The goal, however, came nearly five minutes after a crucial save by junior goalkeeper Mats Roorda to keep the Bearcats in the game. Colgate slid the ball to an attacker in between the Binghamton defense, forcing Roorda off his line. The Colgate attacker struck the ball with his right toe, but didn’t manage to put the ball out of Roorda’s hands. Roorda’s only other save of the game came in the 33rd minute.
“Positionally, I thought our goalkeeper was fantastic during the game,” head coach Paul Marco said. “[Roorda] had to come up with a couple of big saves and he did, and he managed the game very well. He was really good with specific communication that allowed our guys to try and sniff out some of their threats that they were posing.”
Although the first period was scoreless, both the Bearcats and Raiders found opportunities on goal. Including Roorda’s save, Colgate totaled five shots on goal and Binghamton seven.
Binghamton’s first breakthrough came during the second half of play. In the 68th minute, junior forward Oliver Svalander took the ball to the right side toward the edge of the box. Cutting inside on his left foot, Svalander fired the ball into the top-left corner of the net, breaking the deadlock.
“The goal we got from [Svalander] was just an unbelievable strike, that was a worldly type goal,” Marco said. “And then to score that late in the game on a throw-in, it’s a half-chance we make something of it. [Anderson] did a great job.”
The Bearcats’ lead, however, was short-lived, as Colgate quickly responded minutes later with a goal of their own. Apart from a shot on goal by junior midfielder Ethan Homler, the Bearcats offered no response to the Colgate goal.
“We have spent more time in build-up play and midfield dominance of the ball than we have in the final third of the field,” Marco said. “I thought Ethan was a little unlucky to not get a goal in the game, he played really well and had a couple of really good chances, but they just didn’t seem to fall for him.”
Homler contributed three of BU’s seven total shots on goals and recorded four shots in total, but was not able to capitalize on his attempts. The Bearcats, unable to grab a second goal, were sent into overtime.
The Bearcats shined defensively, despite a few missteps. Colgate’s shot attempts drastically reduced in the second period, with five shots in the first and only one attempted shot in the second. Marco said the midfield pair of redshirt junior Parker McKnight and junior Sean Molloy helped anchor Binghamton’s formation.
“I thought the collective group defending, all of them, from the strikers to the backs was very good for most of the game,” Marco said. “I think we did have a couple of moments where we were like, ‘Well, what’s going on there.’ We got stretched and spread out and we weren’t as compact as we would have liked to have been. For the most part, I thought the back four were very good, I thought [McKnight] and [Molloy] in the front were very good.”
The Bearcats are scheduled to host St. Bonaventure on Monday, Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.
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