Canton, NY – Nick Escalante (Whittier, CA) found the back of the net twice and goalkeeper Evan Drew (Elizabethtown, NY) stopped all six shots he faced including a penalty kick as the SUNY Canton men's soccer team defeated visiting Alfred University, 2-0, Saturday afternoon. The win improves the Kangaroos to 1-2, while the loss drops the Saxons to 1-3.

The Roos got the scoring started early on in the 7th minute taking advantage of an Alfred defensive miscue. Hunter Mowery (Elizabethtown, NY) played the ball up the center of the field as Escalante sprinted after it just outside the penalty box. Saxon keeper Matthew Unick came charging off his line but couldn't attack the ball with his hands as it was just outside the 18 yard mark. He attempted to clear the ball with his feet but missed as Escalante took advantage and found the open net for the early 1-0 edge.

There would be other opportunities throughout the opening period as Alfred had a number of quality balls played into the box but the Canton defense was up to the task as the back line stood strong clearing any chances away. The Roos held a 5-3 shots on goal advantage in the opening period.

The Saxons earned the first quality scoring chance out of intermission. At the 50:16 mark, SUNY Canton committed a foul in its own box resulting in a tremendous opportunity for the Saxons to knot the game at one all on the ensuing penalty kick. Drew stood tall in net and guessed right as he dove to his left knocking down Richard Lander's shot attempt and corralled the loose ball to squander any rebound opportunity.

Tyler Gallagher (Potsdam, NY) had two great chances to score in the final 20 minutes that just missed finding their way on net. In the 70th minute a loose ball came to him and he volleyed it out of the air missing just high of the top left corner. Five minutes later the forward blasted another shot that narrowly missed giving the Roos a two-goal lead.

SUNY Canton would finally break through once again in the 77th minute when Abdulai Jagana (Bronx, NY) took the ball down the right side with some nifty moves and played a beautiful cross to Escalante in the middle 20 yards out. The California native settled the ball and drilled a low liner into the left side netting to seal the 2-0 Roo victory.

SUNY Canton finished the contest with an 8-6 shots on goal advantage, while Alfred University had a slight 5-4 corner kicks edge. Drew stopped all six shots he faced for his first career shutout, while Unick made six saves for the Saxons. Head Coach Tim Penrod picked up his first win with SUNY Canton and was extremely pleased with his team's effort on the day.

"I am incredibly happy with the genuine and complete effort that we put forth for 90 minutes today. If we're able to do that the entire season we're going to find an incredible amount of success."

The men's soccer team returns to the pitch Sunday when it travels to Poultney, VT to take on Green Mountain College beginning at 2:00 p.m.

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SUNY Canton offers career-driven degrees in a variety of interesting majors. The College recently expanded its facilities with a new athletic center, nicknamed Roos House, and the Grasse River Suites Residence Hall. The College's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to their academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers flexible and convenient online courses and programs. The College features 14 athletic teams and competes as a provisional member of NCAA Division III as well as the USCAA.