TROY, N.Y. — The RPI men's soccer team battled unbeaten SUNY Oneonta through more than 84 scoreless minutes before a late penalty kick lifted the Red Dragons to a 1-0 victory this afternoon at ECAV Stadium.
RPI created the first opportunity of the afternoon when
Christopher McKinney registered a shot in the sixth minute.
Benjamin Dionisio followed with another attempt less than four minutes later before Oneonta generated its first dangerous chance, forcing
Noah Churchill into a save on a shot from Iyare Harris.
The Engineers continued to produce chances as the opening half progressed.
Ben Tymeson sent an attempt wide in the 32nd minute before
Jax Jameson and McKinney each added shots during a productive stretch late in the period. McKinney recorded another attempt in the 43rd minute as RPI finished the first half with a 6-4 advantage in total shots. Churchill made a second save just before the break to send the teams into halftime scoreless.
Both sides traded opportunities early in the second half, with
Andy Palm and
Harrison Brownlow generating attempts for the Engineers. Oneonta began to create sustained pressure near the hour mark, but Churchill turned aside a shot from Nico Loaiza before the RPI defense weathered a sequence that included multiple Oneonta attempts and corner kicks.
RPI came inches away from taking the lead in the 68th minute when Jameson struck the crossbar. Oneonta answered with another chance moments later, but Churchill stopped Yacouba Bamba to preserve the scoreless tie. The Red Dragons continued to press, though the Engineers held firm into the closing minutes.
The Engineers produced another strong opportunity in the 84th minute when McKinney put a shot on goal, but Oneonta goalkeeper James Cintron made the save.
Less than a minute later, Loaiza converted a penalty kick to give the Red Dragons the 1-0 advantage. RPI earned another corner kick following the goal but could not produce an equalizer before the final whistle.
McKinney led the RPI attack with four shots and accounted for the Engineers' lone attempt on goal, while Jameson added two shots. Palm, Brownlow, Dionisio and Tymeson each recorded one attempt. RPI finished with 10 total shots compared to 12 for Oneonta, while the Red Dragons held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
