HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Houghton men's soccer moved to 2-0 overall and officially 1-0 in the Empire 8 after securing a 1-0 victory over Utica on Friday at Burke Field.
Last week's 1-0 win over Elmira was technically a non-conference contest.
Houghton found the game-winner in the 71st minute off the head of freshman
Oscar Palacios. The play started off on a corner that was played out of the box to the
Logan Schrock. The sophomore quickly sent the ball back into the front of the net where Palacios outjumped the crowd and redirected it past the Pioneer keeper.
The Highlanders were sharp from the beginning, connecting on each pass and controlling the pace of play throughout the contest. Defensively, they didn't give the Pioneers much room to work. Unfortunately, that strong play didn't create many scoring chances as the attack seemed to dry up in the offensive third of the field. Houghton had several corner opportunities but couldn't quite play the ball into a dangerous spot in the box.
The Pioneers took advantage of some quick counters and found the foot of the dangerous Ramazani Juna, who had all four of Utica's shots. But Houghton keeper
Caleb Loew made a couple of tough stops to keep the slate clean.
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 1 | Utica – 0
Records: Houghton: 2-0-0 (1-0-0 E8) | Utica: 0-2-0 (0-2-0 E8)
Venue: Burke Field | Houghton, NY
SCORING SUMMARY
NOTABLE STATS
>> Houghton had a 6-5 edge in shots, including 5-3 in shots on goal
>> Corners were 8-5 in Houghton's favor
>> The goal was the first of the career for Palacios
>> Schrock registered his second career assist
>> Loew made three saves to get the shutout win
>> Houghton has its first two-game win streak since defeating Alfred State and Utica in back to back contests in 2018. Those contests also marked the last two back to back shutouts for the Highlanders
UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to play when they travel to St. John Fisher on Thursday, March 25 at 4 p.m.
