CORTLAND, NY –
Jake Hutter (Smithtown/Smithtown West) scored the game-winning goal in the 24th minute, and the Cortland defense posted its fifth clean sheet of the season, as the nationally seventh-ranked Red Dragons recorded a 1-0 home victory over nationally ninth-ranked Scranton on Holloway Field on Saturday afternoon. Cortland improves to 5-1-0 for the year, while Scranton suffers its first defeat and drops to 3-1-2 on the season.
Hutter's goal was his third goal of the season, putting him second on the team so far this year.
Aidan Miller (Savannah, GA/Richmond Hill) recorded his second assist of the year.
Jordan Ott (Fort Worth, TX/Southwest Christian) made four saves in goal, all in the second half, for his fifth shutout of the season.
Justin Scavalla made four saves in goal for the Royals, and Dylan Wassenbergh had three shots on target.
Cortland had its first good chance to open the scoring in the eighth minute, as an attempt at a bicycle kick by Hutter sent a shot just over the top of the crossbar.
The Red Dragons capitalized in the 24th with a well-worked goal.
Iago Lopez (Ithaca) played a high pass into the air down the right sideline from the midfield line to
Diego Rivera (East Meadow/Cairo-Durham), who controlled the pass with a perfect first touch. Rivera then slid a pass to the top of the 18-yard area to Miller. Miller made a cut to the outside and fired a shot towards the bottom left corner that was saved by Scavalla, but Hutter was quickest to react to the rebound, firing a shot into the roof the goal.
Cortland nearly doubled its advantage in the 31st minute when Miller won the ball with a slide tackle in the midfield, and
Jack Pachla (Grand Island) curled a cross to Lopez at the back post, but the shot took a deflection and was comfortably saved.
The Cortland defense did not allow a shot on target during the first half, carrying the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Hutter nearly scored his second goal of the game in the 58th minute after a low cross from the left side by Rivera, but the connection was just off on the shot and a Scranton defender was able to clear. Just minutes later, Rivera fought off multiple defenders and ripped a left-footed shot that went just high and to the left of the post.
The Royals had a pair of opportunities to tie the game in the 65th minute, as Jake Acosta's shot from the top of the box was blocked, and then Wassenbergh headed a shot that was tipped over the crossbar by Ott.
Scranton kept pressing for an equalizer, and Ott was forced into making a save on a tight-angle shot by Wassenbergh in the 84th minute, and then another stop with a half-dive to his left on Nick Suraci in the 85th minute.
Colin Worden (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) came close to making it 2-0 just seconds after he had subbed on in the 88th minute. The freshman intercepted a pass from a Scranton defender and went in alone on goal, but had his shot stopped by a dive from Scavalla.
Scranton had a free kick and two corner kicks in search of an equalizer in the final minute, but could only manage one shot attempt in the closing seconds. Scavalla, who had come up from his goalkeeper position, headed a shot that was deflected off target by a Cortland defender, and the Red Dragons were able to clear the danger to secure the victory.
