ALFRED, NY – In what has become a perennially close match, the Alfred Saxons defeated the Houghton Highlanders in Saturday's cross-county Empire 8 conference matchup, 2-1, at Yunevich Stadium.
In a tightly contested battle, all three goals came within a 10 minute span.
The Saxons broke through just over 25 minutes into the game when Houghton lost control of the ball at the midfield. Alfred forward Justin Eaton corralled a misplayed ball by the Highlanders, catching his defender off guard, and raced over 45 yards for a breakaway, sliding a left-footed shot just inside the far post and past the diving Houghton keeper.
Just over two minutes later Houghton's
Daniel Myers quickly switched the ball from left-to-right, finding
Ben Miller on the wing. Miller took one touch and crushed a 30-yard shot to the far past to tie the score.
Alfred would put away the game winner seven minutes later. After Houghton failed to convert on a pair of opportunities, the Saxons countered, winning a ball in the midfield and quickly playing a driven ball forward to Eaton, who beat the keeper with a right-footed rip from the top of the box for his second goal of the game.
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 1 | Alfred – 2
Records: Houghton: 4-5-5 (0-1-3 Empire 8) | Alfred: 5-10 (1-3-0 Empire 8)
Venue: Yunevich Stadium, Alfred University | Attendance: 150
SCORING SUMMARY
Time |
Team |
Description |
25:16 |
 |
Justin Eaton |
27:23 |
 |
Ben Miller |
34:28 |
 |
Justin Eaton
Assisted By: Charles Hawkins |
NOTABLE STATS
>> The Saxons maintained a 16-12 shot advantage, while Houghton earned more corner kicks, 4-3.
>> In the past seven seasons, the two teams have played to a 3-3-1 mark. With the exception of the first contest in 2012, which Houghton won, 3-0, and a 2-2 draw in 2014, each of the last five contests have all been decided by one goal
>> Miller's goal was the first of his collegiate career.
UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel to SUNY Brockport on Wednesday, October 23 for a non-conference tilt with the Golden Eagles. Kick-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.