Buffalo, N.Y. -- A late game push from senior forward Juan Camacho (Ibaque, Colombia, San Bonifacio de las Lanzas) pushed the Mount Aloysius men's soccer program to a 4-3 victory over the SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils this Friday, August 30th. 

The Mounties opened their 2024 season with an instant push into their opponents end of the field, earning a shot on goal inside the first two minutes of the contest. The Blue Devils came back quickly, maintaining possession while prodding the Mountie defense with five shot attempts across twelve minutes of action. Despite strong Mountie defensive presence, SUNY Fredonia would open up scoring for the game off a corner kick, putting one in twenty minutes into the first half. 

Although both teams would find a handful of shots on goal, neither were able to find the back of the net for the rest of the first, going into the second facing a 1-0 deficit. Despite the difficulties in scoring, time of possession would start to go the way of the visitors as the Blue Devils struggled against the whistle, with the hosts picking up five fouls to the Mounties zero across the rest of the first half. 

The aggressive play would pay dividends for SUNY Fredonia as the second half began, with the Blue Devils expanding their lead to 3-0 following back-to-back goals only four minutes apart. The Mounties continued to push forward, earning two shots on goal but still finding scoring out of reach.

As the game entered its final 15 minutes, the Blue Devils would commit a foul in the box, starting off a rapid run of Mountie momentum. Camacho would convert the penalty to put the Mounties on the board, and face the same chance not 40 seconds later, when another Blue Devil foul in the box would give the visitors the chance to get within one of their opponents. Camacho would again convert the opportunity, setting the score at 2-3 going into the final 10 minutes of action.

Reeling from the sudden change in fortune, SUNY Fredonia would shift their lineup, sending in a new side to try and keep the Mounties at bay. This proved ineffective as the visitors only continued their offensive push, earning two quick shots on goal before sophomore defender Martin Donner (Stockholm, Sweden, Danderyds Gymnasium Studievagl) would set up Camacho to even the score with eight minutes to play. 

It would take less than a minute for the Mounties to again make the most of their momentum, with senior Louis Bez (Bordeaux, France, Lycée Sainte-Marie de la Bastide) setting up Camacho's fourth goal of the night, putting the Mounties up by one as the second half drew to a close. Sent reeling by the sudden offensive onslaught, SUNY Fredonia would sail a final shot attempt high, ending the game in a 4-3 Mountie victory. 

The Mounties continue their New York road trip tomorrow, August 31st, against the Buffalo State Bengals. Buffalo State earned a 1-1 tie against the Mounties last season, ending with an overall record of 11-5-3.