ONEONTA, NY – A late Bucknell tally cost the Hartwick men’s soccer team a victory at the 40^th Mayor’s Cup played on Elmore Field Friday night. The two teams battled through 110 minutes and ended up with a 2-2 stalemate.
            Junior Jamie O’Grady (Falkirk, Scotland/Falkirk) gave Hartwick two leads in each half with a pair of tallies, both set up by senior Marc Russell (Glasgow, Scotland/Woodfarm). Jesse Klug’s rifle from long range, however, evened the game in the 86th minute.
            The game featured two of the four teams that played in the opening Mayor’s Cup in 1976. It was also a meeting of a pair of 2014 NCAA Tournament teams.
            “Great effort tonight,” said Hartwick head coach John Scott following the match. “We really played well and showed great commitment against a solid opponent.”
            Hartwick started quickly gaining an early advantage on the first scoring chance of the contest. In the 7^th minute, a ball from right side was played in to Russell 25 yards from goal. He one-timed a pass to O’Grady, who drove his shot to the far post out the reach of Bucknell goalkeeper Mike Lansing for a 1-0 ’Wick advantage.
             The Hawks had another opportunity eight minutes later as sophomore Marc Berry (Galashiels, Scotland/Galashiels Academy) played a low cross from the left side into the box which found O’Grady. His effort, however, went over the bar.

            Bucknell drew even in the 28^th minute. A foul 25 yards away on the right side of Hartwick’s goal gave the Bison a free kick. Zack Rockmore stepped up and drove a shot which beat keeper Lenny Wilson (Aberdeen, Scotland/Cults Academy) to his right for a 1-1 game.
            The Hawks had a few more opportunities in the final 16 minutes. A long service from the right side into the box found Kit Tregear (Brighton, England/BHASVIC). He rose up over Bucknell defenders to get a solid header on it which forced a difficult, leaping save from Lansing. With under 10 minutes left in the half, a David Styles’ (Bognor Regis, England/St. Phillip Howard) service from the left produced a powerful header from Mike Rood (Conklin, NY/Susquehanna Valley), but it went wide of the post.
            O’Grady pushed Hartwick ahead once again 17 minutes into the second half. Russell gained the ball in the middle of the park and dribbled toward goal. He waited for an overlapping O’Grady and slipped a pass to him inside the 18 and O’Grady blasted a shot to the far post for a 2-1 lead.
            The Hawks held the Bison at bay, limiting them to virtually no scoring chances over the next 23 minutes. Klug produced a hard shot from the right from inside 15 yards, but Wilson was able to make the save with five and a half minutes to go.
            Klug would get one more chance with under five minutes left. After a long ball from the back, Klug won it, took a few dribbles, and was given space to unleash a 23-yard blast to the far post to even the score.
            In overtime, Hartwick held a 5-4 edge in shots, but only one was on target of the nine from both teams. Bucknell had perhaps the best chance with 2:15 left in the overtime when Ben Derleth got free in the box and looked to have a great look on goal, but a sliding tackle from ’Wick defender Justin Broome (Markham, ONT/Bill Crothers Secondary School) averted the chance.
            Bucknell would close the match with an 18-13 edge in shots. The Bison held a 10-2 advantage in corners.
            Wilson made five stops in goal for the Hawks. Lansing made on save for Bucknell.
            “The team as a whole was very good,” Scott stated. “O’Grady was magnificent and Russell deserves credit for his performance. There were a couple of moments where we could’ve been sharper but we can’t be too down on ourselves.”
              In the day’s opener, Northern Kentucky used second-half goals from Calvin Murphy and Ronald Moss to down a 10-man St. Francis (PA) squad, 2-0.
            The 40^th Mayor’s Cup continues on Sunday on Elmore. Bucknell and Northern Kentucky clash at noon with Hartwick hosting St. Francis at 3 p.m. The Hawks will be searching for their first Mayor’s Cup title since the 2007 campaign. 

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