The Saints split their squad in half and competed in a round robin style tournament at SUNY Canton on April 27th. Competing against three other 4 year schools, North Country was the only program to enter two teams into the tournament. The Saints squared off against Paul Smiths, Clarkson and SUNY Canton.
The freshmen team, wearing green, posted a record of 3 wins and 1 loss on the day. The first game of the day for the freshmen was against rival Paul Smiths. Andrew Lontis had the lone goal of the match with the assist coming from Justin Bergman. In the next game against Clarkson, Justin Bergman got on to the end of a long throw in from Justin Kellett and put the Saints up 1 to 0. Defensive minded central mid-fielder David Newlands anchored the freshmen as they showed their composure and discipline against a strong Clarkson attack. Liam Bryant, Adam Armenti and Jamie McLennan stood strong on the back line while Drew Garnaut came up with some big saves and controlled the pace of the game to get the result.
The freshmen entered their final game of the day having not conceded a goal as they prepared to face host, SUNY Canton. The Saints got out to a quick start as Justin Kellett and Fendher Pierre-Louis combined to poke the ball past the keeper in a scrum in front of the net from a corner kick to put the Saints up one. However tired legs started to take their toll as Canton had most of the possession and were able to beat the Saints defense on 4 occasions ultimately beating the freshmen 4-1 in the last game.
The sophomores, wearing black, opened the day with Clarkson. The Saints showed their defensive strength as they battled to a 0-0 draw in a tough physical match up. Kane Morgan anchored the Saints in the central midfield denying several attempts on goal from Clarkson. Kyle Tander and Winterson Joseph linked together for a few looks at goal but could not find the back of the net. In the second match of the day the sophomores squared off again SUNY Canton. Lachlan Tracey and Zachary Bates were physical in their matchups on the back line but were broken down twice by the talented strikers from Canton.
The third game of the day for the sophomores was against Paul Smiths College. The game was back and forth, goalkeeper Beau Stanford had to produce some good saves but the opposition broke through with a goal to put the Saints down 1. Tyler Biolsi and John (Sean) O'Sullivan were strong on the wings creating several opportunities for the Saints. It was late in the game when Winterson Joseph played a ball that found the head of Zachary Bates for a goal to tie it up at 1-1. There were several more chances but the sophomores couldn't connect and the game ended in a draw.
In probably the most anticipated match of the day, the freshman Saints vs. the sophomore Saints, the freshman did just enough to slip past the sophomores. It was a very back and forth game with great scoring opportunities on both ends of the field. Winterson Joseph rung the cross bar twice for the sophomores and Tyler Biolsi (playing for the sophomores on loan from the freshmen) found the back of the net but was flagged offside. It was freshman Andrew Lontis who took a shot that bounced off a defenders leg and into the back of the net to give the freshmen the game winner. In the end, the youthfulness was too much for the older sophomores to handle as they fell to their teammates 1 -0.
Head Coach Adam diVincenzo stated "Overall it was a great day for the program. It was great for the freshmen to get some good results against quality programs and gain some confidence going into the off season. We will have a good core of returning player to work with next season. It was also great to see the sophomores get one more run in together as a team. They all played well and it will be tough to see them move on from North Country."
Coach diVincenzo would like to thank all the sophomores for their hard work over the past two years and wishes them the best of luck as they move on.
