Fredonia stayed in SUNYAC men's soccer playoff contention with a 1-0 home win Saturday over Oswego.
Conrad Rathbun (Naples, N.Y.), a sophomore forward, the game's lone goal while sophomore goalkeeper Ty Bentham (Columbus, Ind.) made 13 saves as the Blue Devils improved to 7-5-1 overall and 1-3-1 in the SUNYAC. The loss dropped the visiting Lakers to 6-6-1 overall and 1-5-0 in the conference.
Oswego goalkeeper Brian Terra made two saves, one of them just ahead of the goal by Rathbun. Fredonia freshman Pa Lu (Buffalo) took a free kick from the left flank. His shot, directed toward the far post, was batted away by Terra. Rathbun scored on the rebound in the 12th minute, his third goal of the season and his first game-winner.
Bentham made a key stop earlier in the 41st minute. An Oswego free kick and two passes put the ball on the foot of Thomas Jackson on the goalkeeper's doorstep. Bentham came quickly off his line for the save, his most difficult on a balmy autumn afternoon. Game time temperatures reached 75 degrees under mostly sunny skies.
"This was a typical grind-it-out SUNYAC dog fight," Fredonia Head Coach P.J. Gondek said. "You have to be able to find a way and we did that today."
The 13 saves was Bentham's top total of the season. His previous best was 12 saves vs. John Carroll on Sept. 26. In addition, the shutout was his second of the season.
With the top six teams qualifying for the SUNYAC Tournament, the Blue Devils will need to continue their winning ways next weekend when they visit Potsdam on Friday and Plattsburgh next Saturday.
