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ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s soccer team won its second consecutive game, opening up its Empire 8 schedule by defeating visiting Utica College 3-1 on a rainy Saturday afternoon at RIT Field.

 

With the win, RIT improved to 2-4-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the Empire 8.  Utica fell to 3-3-1 overall and 1-1-0 in conference play.

 

Tigers Geoff Schmidt (Wooster, OH/Wooster) (Wooster, OH/Wooster), Mark Frisicano (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia), Endri Kita (Albany, NY/Albany) (Albany,NY/Albany), Chris Sappo (Essex, VT/Essex Junction) and Jake Yates (Waynesburg, PA/Waynesburg) (Waynesburg, PA/Waynesburg) generated plenty of excellent scoring chances in the first half.

 

Utica nearly broke through first, as Jose Castro ripped a shot off the crossbar with about 10 minutes left in the half.

 

Andrew Ong (Phuket, Thailand/SKL) (Phuket, Thailand/SKL) gave RIT a 1-0 lead with 25 seconds left in the half, as he headed in a sensational cross from Sappo for his first goal of the season.

 

RIT out-shot the Pioneers 14-6 over the opening 45 minutes of play.

 

The Tigers came out firing in the second, generating several excellent chances without finding the back of the net.

 

All of RIT’s hard work finally paid off as Chuck Marion (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) put in a shot from the side of the Pioneers net off a Utica defender and into the net for a 2-0 lead.  Marion’s goal was his second of the season.

 

Frisicano put the game away six minutes later, corralling a loose ball about 40-yards out, blowing past two Utica defenders and slipping a shot past a sprawling Anthony DeSarro to make it 3-0 Tigers.

 

Evan Default scored his fifth goal of the season with 9:38 to play on a penalty kick to spoil the RIT shutout.

 

RIT out-shot Utica 26-10.  DeSarro made 11 saves for the Pioneers.  Alan Smith (Lancaster, PA/Penn Manor) (Lancaster, PA/Penn Manor) recorded his second consecutive win, making two saves for RIT.

 

RIT is back in action on Saturday, September 30, as they host Empire 8 foe Alfred University at 12 p.m.