DELHI, N.Y. (September 28, 2019) – Four first-half SUNY Canton goals and another to begin the second put the SUNY Delhi men's soccer team in a five-goal hole against the NAC rivals on Saturday. While the Broncos sparked a rally with three straight goals, the first two from Juan Velez and the last from Brody Rettle, the Roos used one last goal late to pull away with the 6-3 victory. Head coach Brian Mitko's team is now 4-5 overall and 2-1 in NAC play.
Canton picked up two swift goals midway through the first half. A free kick by Pedro DeSouza bounced back into play off the crossbar, where Ellis Sanchez deflected the ball in Brett Anderson's direction and headed it in from point blank range for the opening score. They followed up less than two minutes later when Connor Bruyn headed in a cross from the left side by Sanchez to go up by two goals. The Roos were not yet done, burying another pair of goals within two minutes before the half. Hamza Meer rolled one in following a failed clear in the box at 35:42, followed by Alex Kenmogne scoring off his own rebound, assisted by Sanchez, at 37:05.
Canton and Delhi exchanged goals to start the second half. An illegal touch led to an indirect penalty kick for the Roos inside the box, where Shayne O'Neill swooped in to score off a deflection from Bruyn's kick for the five-goal advantage. Delhi threatened a late rally with the next three goals. Juan Velez got things started with the first two scores, starting with rolling one in past goalie Tyler Petersen at the 59:43 mark, then scoring again at 72:46 from a pass by Christian Quinde following a corner kick. Team-leading scorer Brody Rettle rose to the occasion, as well, kicking in a cross by Daniel Prendergast midair off the crossbar and in to cut the deficit to two. Canton, however, responded with one more score to all but seal the victory when Alex Kenmogne found Hamza Meer for the last goal of the day at 81:40.
Rettle increased his team-high scoring numbers to 15 points on seven goals and one assists, while Velez is second with eight points on four goals. Goalkeeper Corey O'Toole totaled six saves on the afternoon. The Broncos finished ahead in shots, 22-13, including a 15-6 lead in the second half. Delhi even had eight corner kicks to Canton's one.
Delhi suffered its second straight defeat Saturday, as well as its first to a NAC opponent this season. The Broncos host Nazareth in a non-conference meeting on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. before diving into three conference matches. It begins at Maine Farmington on Saturday, Oct. 5, followed by home weekend contests versus Maine Presque Isle Saturday, Oct. 12 and Husson Sunday, Oct. 13.