No. 3 Men's Soccer Dominant in 14-0 Home-Opener Win Over North Country

Herkimer, NY -- The Herkimer Generals continued their stellar season with a dominant 14-0 victory over North Country Community College, showcasing their attacking prowess and defensive solidity throughout the match.

Rood Apolon got things started for the Generals with a goal in just under three minutes, assisted by Callum Pike. Ben Gundle followed with a goal in the 10th minute, assisted by Dylan Pederson. The goals kept coming quickly as Rowan Slater scored in the 13th minute, assisted by Rood Apolon, pushing the lead to 3-0.

Herkimer's relentless offense overwhelmed North Country as Kyle Macfarlane netted the fourth goal, assisted by Rowan Slater, in the 19th minute. Shortly after, Dylan Pederson and Matty Casson joined the scoring sheet with goals in the 21st and 23rd minutes, making it 6-0. Christian Davies added a seventh goal, assisted by Apolon, just past the 30-minute mark. Apolon also tallied his second goal in the 36th minute, assisted by Ross Mackinnon, before Slater capped off the first half with a ninth goal in the 37th minute, again assisted by Apolon.

Herkimer didn't ease up in the second half, with George Dickinson opening the scoring in the 49th minute, assisted by Ross Mackinnon, to make it 10-0. David Zepeda Jr. added another in the 67th minute, assisted by Pepe Aragon, followed by a second goal from George Dickinson in the 77th minute with an assist from Beau Pomeroy. Jack Gray scored in the 83rd minute, unassisted, and Brandon Castorina closed out the scoring in the 86th minute, assisted by Jack Gray, bringing the final score to 14-0.

David Zepeda Jr's second-half goal was good enough for ESPN's Top-10 Plays the following day!

ICYMI: David Zepeda Jr's goal was No. 8️⃣ on today's ESPN Top-10 Plays!#HerkNation I #DefendTheHill ���� https://t.co/fERb8FtJJg pic.twitter.com/1Rq3eN0uYm

— Herkimer Generals (@HerkimerGeneral) September 2, 2024

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Defensively, Herkimer was flawless. Goalkeepers Andrew Moulton and Maximilian Axt combined for a clean sheet, facing no shots on goal throughout the match, as North Country struggled to create any offensive opportunities. In contrast, the Generals peppered North Country's goalkeeper with 54 total shots, 31 of which were on target.

North Country's goalkeeper made an astounding 35 saves, but it was not enough to stem the tide of Herkimer's offense, which saw contributions from nearly every position on the field. The victory was a complete team effort, with standout performances from Rood Apolon (5 shots, 2 goals, 3 assists), Rowan Slater (3 shots, 2 goals, 2 assists), and George Dickinson (4 shots, 2 goals).