Buffalo, NY – The D'Youville men's soccer team closed out their first weekend of the season on Saturday afternoon with a loss to the Fredonia Blue Devils by the final of 5-1.

Fredonia was first on the board after a physical first 20 minutes of play. The Blue Devils scored a goal off a free kick in the twenty-first minute, taking a 1-0 lead. However the Spartans would come right back almost exactly a minute later as Josh Hammer (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) scored his first goal of the season on a one-timer from Mark Passantino (Marilla, NY/Iroquois) to tie the game at 1-1.

Over the next 20 minutes, Fredonia would add two more goals to take the lead and build on it. With just over a minute left in the first half, the Blue Devils added another insurance goal to make the score 4-1 after 45 minutes of play.

The second half saw the Spartans pick up their offensive and defensive games. The back line of Hammer, Mike Lekanka (Newfane, NY/Newfane), and Matt Davis (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) was solid in their clear attempts, winning aerial battles, and sending the ball up to the forwards. With just under 20 minutes to go in the game, Fredonia would add another goal to their total at 5-1 and go on to win the game by that score.

Despite giving up several goals, the team had a good performance in the back. Freshman goalkeeper Kyle Dick (Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili) made his team debut by playing the second half and displaying his command of the box and agility in goal. Allan Wade (Lockport, NY/Starpoint) and Aweso Noor (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) were solid on the outside as well.

On offense, freshman Jake Kowalewski (Attica, NY/Attica) led the team with three shots while Hunter Sherman (Lockport, NY/Lockport) had one. Hammer scored the lone goal for the men.

D'Youville will next play on Wednesday, September 6 as they open the home portion of their schedule against Elmira. Game time is 7:00pm.