Men's Soccer Gears Up for Home Opener After Battling #20 Monroe

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - To open the regular season, the Finger Lakes Community College men's soccer team challenged themselves as they took a trip to Rochester to take on the 20th-ranked Monroe Community College Tribunes who compete in NJCAA Division I. The match marked the start of a new era for the Lakers men's soccer team as first-year Head Coach Joe Balls made his debut. 

The match saw a strong start for both teams, but the Tribunes broke the deadlock at the 27' mark. They would go on to extend their advantage early in the second half, netting another goal at the 47' mark to grow their lead to 2-0. Freshman goalkeeper Joshua Koobs (Leverkusen, Germany/Werner Heisenberge Gymnasium), who made his Laker debut, would stand strong against the Tribunes attack despite the finale.  

The Lakers created several opportunities early in the game and throughout, recording 12 shots with 4 on target. Joao Antonio Rocha (Sergipe, Brazil/Colegio Master) and Daniel Ojedayo (Ibadan, Nigeria/Opicc) led the attack with 2 shots on goal each against the 20th-ranked Tribunes. 

Subbing in late in the game was freshman keeper Harry Eastwick (Christchurch, New Zealand/St. Thomas of Canterbury) who immediately made his presence felt by stopping a Tribunes penalty kick—their first miss since the 2022 season after converting their previous 6 attempts. Eastwick's save was a highlight of the match where both he and Koobs combined for 7 saves on the day. 

Reflecting on the game, Coach Joe Balls was left optimistic about the season ahead: "It was a very hard-fought game. Harry's (Eastwick) penalty save was a big moment for us. I'm happy with the performance, but I know we still have to continue to improve to get to where we want to be." 

The Lakers will have a chance to secure their first win of the season on Wednesday, August 28th, at 5 PM when they host the Bryant & Stratton Rochester Bobcats at the FLCC Multi-use Turf for their home opener. This will be their second consecutive match against a non-region opponent, and the middle contest of a three-match stretch that concludes at SUNY ESF on Sunday, September 1st.