Guzzi’s Three Assists Spark Lakers in 5–2 Home Opener Win

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - The Lakers found their stride midway through the first half, striking twice in three minutes to seize control of the match. Robin Giesing (Essen, Germany/Gymnasium-Essen-Werden) converted a sharp feed from Germán Guzzi (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Imei) in the 23rd minute to open the scoring. Shortly after, Guzzi slipped another ball through off a set piece to sophomore defender Owen Schuessler (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy), who finished to make it 2–0.

Fisher responded in the 35th minute to cut the deficit, but Finger Lakes regrouped quickly out of halftime. Just over a minute into the second half, Giesing buried his second goal of the day, again from Guzzi's service, to restore the two-goal cushion.

The Lakers extended the margin in the 66th when freshman midfielder Bautista Suarez (Salta, Argentina/Colegio Belgrano) slotted home a chance created by Bernardo Reffiel Del Castel (Sergipe, Brazil/Pró-mundo). Fisher pulled one back in the 79th minute, but Finger Lakes answered with a fifth just minutes later. Daniel Ojedayo (Ibadan, Nigeria/Opicc) capped the scoring in the 83rd on a setup from Abdelali Zariouh (Zeeland, Netherlands/Scalda) to seal the 5–2 victory.

Freshman goalkeeper Matt Walton (Birmingham, England/Walsall Academy) went the distance, collecting his first win of the season as the Lakers outshot Fisher 27–6, including 15 on goal.

Looking Ahead:
Finger Lakes (2–0) returns to action on Saturday, August 30th, at home with a big matchup against the 6th-ranked Spartans of Cayuga Community College.