The Alfred State Men's Soccer team put on an impressive performance, downing Penn College 2-0 in the first home game of the year.

Alfred State thrived off physical defensive play from the start, defenders Jack Leahy (Pittsford, NY/ Pittsford-Sutherland) and Michael Bupp (East Rochester, NY/ East Rochester) led the defense in a shutout victory.

Midway through the first half, a Gavin Rice (Greece, NY/ Greece Athena) assist led to the initial goal. Will Bowen (Pittsford, NY/ Pittsford-Sutherland), the first-year midfielder, put it into the back of the net from close range. Alfred State kept the score at 1-0 through the end of the first half.

The Pioneers drew two yellow cards in the second half. The second came in the penalty box, Nuri Sarbudak (Pittsford, NY/ Pittsford-Mendon) drew the card. Sarbudak finished it off, scoring the penalty shot goal in the final minute of te game.

The quick pace and physical defense worked well for Alfred State, as goalkeeper Thaddeus Grierson (Perry, NY/ Perry) tallied four saves in the shutout win.

After a 2-0 win against a talented Penn College team, the Pioneers will look to keep the momentum going when they travel to SUNY Cobleskill for a match on Saturday, September 10.