Chad Gilson had one of Fredonia's three goals Saturday at Potsdam (photo by Ron Szot).
A battered and bruised Fredonia State men's soccer team boarded the bus for home Saturday afternoon, a long trip made sweeter by a 3-1 SUNYAC road win over the Potsdam Bears.
Goals scored in rapid succession by Colin Merkey, Jackson Retzer, and Chad Gilson were more than enough for the Blue Devils (4-4-2 overall, 1-1-0 SUNYAC) to earn a weekend split in the North Country. They lost 2-0 Friday at Plattsburgh.
"We left the field today," Head Coach P.J. Gondek said, "with three guys on crutches and one with a broken nose. For some of our freshmen, it was 'Welcome to the SUNYAC.' "
Merkey's goal came in the 23rd minute. It opened the floodgates offensively for the Blue Devils. Jackson Retzer converted a penalty kick in the 27th minute before a Chad Gilson header made it 3-0 three minutes later.
Cole Teelin and Parker Ange had assists during the scoring outburst while Ty Bentham was called on to make just two saves. Rob Dulanto scored for the Bears (3-7-1 overall, 1-1-0 SUNYAC) just 2:04 into the second half.
"It was a big bounce-back (win) today," Gondek said. "We came out on fire and finally got rewarded ... It was a total team effort."
