CORTLAND, N.Y. (September 4, 2021)  – Senior Aedan Boriotti made seven saves as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team played to a season-opening scoreless draw at Cortland Saturday in a non-conference fixture played at Holloway Field. 

Cortland's Braden Melveney made four saves for the Red Dragons to preserve the dual clean sheet.

The draw pushed Stevens' record to 0-0-1, while Cortland moved to 0-1-1. The contest was a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Tournament second round contest, which was also contested at Holloway Field. The teams have never met in Hoboken. The result kept Stevens unbeaten in its last four season openers and is the first draw on opening days since a 0-0 tie with then-No. 17 Arcadia University on Sept. 1, 2005.

The Ducks finished with 16 shots and perhaps had their best chance to find the back of the net in the 54th minute. Graduate student Cristiano Hocken directed a header towards the crease from 10 yards out only for Melveney to thwart the scoring opportunity. Senior Jay Poskitt was in position to send Stevens on to victory in the final minute, finding himself open in a dangerous scoring position, but Melveney dove to break up a pass headed towards the Stevens attacker.

The contest marked the first countable intercollegiate competition for the Ducks since Nov. 6, 2019 - a span of 668 days.

Turning Point

• With less than two minutes remaining in the second overtime, Boriotti made a splendid save on a one-timer from Mike Hunsucker from beyond the 18.
• The senior goalkeeper made two saves in the first half and three in the second, while also making  a pair of saves in overtime to marshall his eighth career clean sheet. 

Unsung Hero

• In his Stevens debut, graduate student Tyler Dressman cleared Ian Blugh's header in the 41st minute to earn a team save.

Inside the Numbers

• Cortland held a slim 17-16 margin in shots. Nearly half of Cortland's attempts (8) were on-goal. Jack Coleman led all participants with six shots, while seniors Adam Silva and Sean Masur paced Stevens with four. 
• Each team earned six corners. 
• The contest marked the latest start to a season for the program since at least 2000.
• Dressman drew the start in his first game as a Duck, alongside fellow newcomer, junior Michael Gomez. First-years Adam Berrocal, Emerico Vespucci, and Zach Orrico, joined sophomores Jack Seitz and Dylan Maund in making their collegiate debuts. Graduate student John Caracappa also made his Stevens debut.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Dale Jordan

• "Feels so good to be back at it! It was a good start to the season against an incredibly tough opponent. I was pleased that so many guys contributed today and I thought our defensive group really put in an outstanding performance."
• "We will put today behind us and prep for a huge game against a nationally-ranked opponent on their home field tomorrow."

Up Next

• Men's Soccer remains in the Empire State for a non-conference fixture against No. 23 Ithaca College on Sunday, Sept. 5.
• Formerly annual opponents in the Empire 8 Conference, the teams last met during the regular season in 2016, with the Bombers coming away with a 1-0 victory, snapping the Ducks' five-match winning streak in the all-time series. Sunday's contest will be the third straight contested in upstate New York. 
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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