Thomas Defeats SUNY Delhi in NAC Championship, 2-0
DELHI, N.Y. – Junior Cody Robinson (Warwick, Bermuda) recorded his first collegiate brace to power Thomas College (14-1-3) to a 2-0 victory over SUNY Delhi (9-6-4) in the 2024 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday afternoon at Neil Liddell Field.
With the shutout triumph, Thomas claims the NAC’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA DIII Men’s Soccer Tournament, which begins at campus sites (TBA) next Saturday. The national tournament bracket will be revealed during a live selection show on NCAA.com at 1:30 PM on Monday.
For SUNI Delhi, the loss brings an end to the 2024 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The conference title bout featured a frenzied pace early, but the Terriers set the tone in the 12th minute when Robinson scored the game’s first goal. Controlling the ball in the right corner, sophomore David Ivarsson (Reykjavik, Iceland) evaded a defender and delivered a perfect right-to-left loft pass into the box where Robinson finished with a slick header strike to the upper half of the net.
Plenty of back-and-forth and physical play followed as the teams headed into intermission with Thomas clinging to the 1-0 edge.
The first true scoring opportunity of the second stanza occurred in the 69th minute after a free kick was awarded to the Broncos as a result of a handball called about five yards outside of the top of the box. Roberto Velasquez-Osorio (Monticello, N.Y.) took the attempt and delivered a laser towards the top right corner of the net, but Thomas freshman goalkeeper Jamie Fischer (Dubendorf, Switzerland) punched the ball over the crossbar to preserve his team’s 1-0 lead.
The teams continued to build drives in opposite directions, as the Broncos sought the equalizer, and the Terriers were desperate for a bit of breathing room. As it played out, the latter put the game out of reach for the hosts, as Robinson managed to net an insurance tally off a Joshua Joseph (Devonshire, Bermuda) pass with 5:56 left in regulation.
TEAM STATS:
Thomas held the lead in shots (17-14), shots on goal (7-6), and corner kicks 7-3 in the victory.
THE KEEPERS:
Fischer was brilliant in the victory and turned away all six shots he faced. SUNY Delhi sophomore netminder Salvatore Meloni (Ridge, N.Y.) also played well and made five saves in a losing bid.
NOTES:
- For Thomas, today’s NAC Championship counts as the program’s seventh NAC crown and first since 2019
- The Terriers’ victory extends the team’s undefeated streak to 16 games
- Robinson entered the conference tournament with two goals all season, but ignited the Terriers’ 3-2 comeback victory with his team’s first goal versus Maine Maritime in the East Division final last Sunday and had a career day with both of his team’s tallies this afternoon
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
MVP – Jamie Fischer, Thomas
Adam Elkott, Thomas
Cody Robinson, Thomas
Joshua Joseph, Thomas
Salvatore Meloni, SUNY Delhi
Michael Williams, Jr., SUNY Delhi
Roberto Velasquez-Osorio, SUNY Delhi
John-John Dickenson, Maine Maritime
Regan Moynihan, Maine Maritime
Spencer Reisman, SUNY Cobleskill
Rob Staubitz, SUNY Cobleskill