SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men's soccer team scored four goals in 21 minutes to complete a second-half comeback and pull away for a 5-2 victory over SUNY Polytechnic Institute in non-conference action on a sometimes rainy Wednesday evening at College Park Field.
Five different players scored for Union (3-1) in its third straight victory, led by junior
Eamonn Kelley with a game-high three points on a goal and an assist. Sophomore
Diogo Charraz scored for the third straight game and both sophomore
Kofi Sarfoh and first-year
Josiah Blake found the net for the second game in a row, while first-year
Matthew Hefferon added his first collegiate tally.
After scoring five goals on Sunday against Westfield State University, the five goals on Wednesday give Union its most goals scored in a two-game span since netting 11 against UMass Boston and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on September 13 and 16, 2023. The win also marks the first time since 2012 (back-to-back 5-0 wins) that Union has scored five goals in consecutive outings.
Union got off on the right foot on Wednesday, as Sarfoh continued his hot start to the season with his fourth goal of 2026. At the start of the seventh minute, the sophomore gathered a loose ball near the top of the penalty box, took one dribble and launched a shot off the bottom of the crossbar and in to put Union ahead early.
The home team remained in firm control until disaster struck midway through the frame, when two mistakes resulted in two SUNY Poly tallies 66 seconds apart. Johnpaul Jerome blocked a crossing attempt by first-year keeper
Michael Karcher at the top of the box and tapped the ball into an empty net at the 23:21 mark, and just over a minute later another giveaway in the box resulted in a Marcus Cole goal that put the visitors in front.
Those two shots were all the Wildcats managed in the first half, as Union boasted a 9-2 edge in attempts and held a nearly 2-to-1 edge in possession but found itself down a goal at the break.
After going more than eight minutes without a shot to start the second half, Union exploded for four goals over the next 21:05 to regain the lead for good. The run started with two goals in 28 seconds for the Garnet Chargers, when Kelley put home a corner kick by first-year
Joseph Carofano and then sprung Hefferon for the eventual game-winning goal soon after.
Union scored twice in short succession later in the half as well. Karcher earned an assist on Blake's second of the year, sending the ball about 60 yards down the field for Blake to head into position to chip over the onrushing goalie in the 73rd minute. Charraz continued his tear by scoring for the third straight game, picking the top-right corner from the top of the box in the 77th minute.
Union outshot SUNY Poly by a 10-4 margin in the second half to finish the game with a 19-6 edge in shots. Karcher made three saves to earn a third straight victory in goal.
The Garnet Chargers will look for a fourth straight win on the home field on Saturday, when the team hosts Bryant & Stratton College for an 11 a.m. kickoff at College Park Field.
