September 1, 2005

Micke Subotowicz prepares to fire home his game-winning PK. (Photo by Ken DeBolt)

GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College senior Micke Subotowicz (Farsta Gymnasium/Stockholm, Sweden) buried a penalty kick in the 67th minute as the Statesmen opened the 2005 season with a 1-0 victory over visiting Cortland State.

Hobart (1-0) and Cortland State (0-1) used the first twenty minutes of the opening half to control the ball within the midfield, allowing both teams to feel each other out.

During the 24th minute, the Statesmen generated their first dangerous scoring opportunity as Subotowicz showcased crafty one-on-one dribbling skills and drew a Red Dragon foul 20-yards outside the net. Off the ensuing kick, Hobart’s offensive catalyst struck the crossbar and first-year striker Matt Schwartz (Lower Merion/Wynnewood, Pa.) gathered the rebound and fired a shot over the cage.

Although Hobart outshot Cortland State 8-4 both teams entered halftime scoreless.

The Red Dragons could not take advantage of a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the opening minutes of the second half. Junior forward Reilly Buckley (Susquehanna Valley/Endicott, N.Y.) glided onto a through ball down the right flank and separated himself from the pursuing Statesmen defense. Bearing down on first-year goalkeeper, Phil DaCosta (Manchester Memorial/Manchester, N.H.), Buckley made a quick move to his right, leaving DaCosta in his wake, but unable to control the ball DaCosta recovered to sustain the stalemate.

Using the momentum of Cortland’s muffed scoring chance, Hobart used precise passing to knife through the Red Dragon defense. First-year midfielder Jesse Pereira (Avon Old Farms/Ludlow, Mass.) utilized his explosive feet to generate an uncontested shot from the top of the box. A Cortland defender tackled him from behind, resulting in decisive penalty kick.

Less than five minutes later, Tucker Crockett (Episcopal Academy/Rosemont, Pa.) nearly extended the Statesmen lead as he broke in behind Cortland’s defense, but Sean Trask (Niskayuna/Alpaus, N.Y.) was able to cut down the angle and preserve the one-goal margin. Trask recorded three saves on the afternoon.

DaCosta, who turned away three Red Dragon shots, stood strong in the net as he registered his first-career shutout in his Hobart debut.

The Statesmen return to action on Sept. 3, traveling to Geneseo for a 3 p.m. start.