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Clarkson University Athletics

CU Men's Soccer Preview - at Liberty League Tournament (11/9-10)

By: November 8, 2019
WhiteJoey2019act67

Men's Soccer | 11/8/2019 6:30:00 AM

Winning its first postseason game in more than two decades on Tuesday, the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team is looking for more this weekend as the team travels to Troy, NY for the Liberty League Semifinals.

Clarkson will take on top-seeded Rensselaer at 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, while second-seeded Hobart College will face sixth-seeded RIT in the second semifinal game at 6:30 pm. The Liberty League Championship team will pit the two advancing teams against one another at 3:30 pm on Sunday, with that winner gaining the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Live Stats/Live Video

Results of 2019: The Golden Knights went unbeaten in three games against the teams in the Liberty League Semifinals, but also won just one game. A goal in the 10th minute from Mack Walton allowed Clarkson to earn a 1-0 win over RIT. The games versus Hobart and Rensselaer ended in scoreless ties in evenly-matched battles. Hobart owned a 15-14 advantage in shots against Clarkson and both the Knights and Rensselaer took 12 shots in their late October game.

Key Stats for Clarkson (11-4-3, 5-1-3 Liberty League): The only team that beat the Knights in the conference regular season (Vassar) was eliminated by RIT on Tuesday. Clarkson went 7-0-3 at home and was 4-4-0 on the road this season, creating a bit more of a challenge for the Green and Gold away from the turf of Hantz. Senior goalkeeper Ian Roeloffs ranks among the top netminders in the region with a 0.88 goals against average and .821 save percentage to go along with eight shutouts. Those numbers would be remarkably better if not for a hiccup in the early going against Brockport. Minus the early-September game versus the Golden Eagles, Roeloffs numbers improve to a 0.59 goals against average and .864 save percentage. Clarkson ranks in the top 10 in the nation in shutout percentage, posting 11 whitewashes in 18 games (61.1%). The Green and Gold have shutout their opponent 21 times in the last 35 games dating back to last year.

Key Stats for Rensselaer (14-4-2, 6-1-2 Liberty League): The Engineers only loss in conference came against Ithaca, a team eliminated by Clarkson on Tuesday, though RPI had little to play for in the regular-season finale having already locked up home field advantage and a first-round bye. The Engineers handled Hobart (3-1) and defeated RIT in overtime (3-2) while finishing 0-0 against Clarkson on October 26th. Ranked 12th in the latest national poll, the Engineers have a dynamic freshman in Josh Gaudiano. The first-year collegian leads the Liberty League in both goals (15) and points (35) though he has been relatively quiet in the last three contests, going scoreless in that stretch. Sophomore goalkeeper Luke Brezak has made 11 starts and will likely be between the posts on Saturday thanks to his 0.63 goals against average and .833 save percentage.

Key Stats for Hobart (13-4-1, 6-2-1 Liberty League): An overtime win in the regular-season finale against St. Lawrence allowed the Statesmen to earn a first-round bye. Versus the three other entrants in the Liberty League's final four, Hobart went 1-1-1, beating RIT, losing to RPI, and tying the Knights. The Statesmen are an excellent defensive team, allowing 12 goals in 18 games, and senior goalkeeper Brian Salazar plays a big part in that defense. Salazar has just a 0.67 goals against average and .870 save percentage with six shutouts, a number which would increase to 10 had he not been pulled in four blowout wins. Senior midfielder Nate Cary posted only two assists in 37 games over the last two years, but this season he has dwarfed those numbers with a team-best 15 points on six goals and three assists.

Key Stats for RIT (6-9-2, 4-5-0 Liberty League): The Tigers avenged an overtime loss to Vassar just three days earlier by outdoing the Brewers on penalty kicks on Tuesday following a 1-1 double overtime tie. RIT can score, having posted 30 goals this season, but the Tigers have also allowed 28 goals in 17 contests, including seven against the teams remaining in the Liberty League Tournament. RIT dropped a 3-2 decision to Hobart, fell 1-0 against Clarkson, and also lost in overtime to RPI, 3-2. The Tigers have a trio of high-octane goal scorers in Simon Garno (7-7-21), Nick Simone (6-7-20) and Jared Short (7-0-14), making them dangerous in penalty kick situations such as the one they were in on Tuesday.




 
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Players Mentioned

Ian Roeloffs

#13 Ian Roeloffs

GK
6' 4"
Senior
Mack Walton

#2 Mack Walton

M
5' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Ian Roeloffs

#13 Ian Roeloffs

6' 4"
Senior
GK
Mack Walton

#2 Mack Walton

5' 9"
Junior
M