SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Two early goals by Adebare Oyeniyi and Mike Park and clutch goalkeeping by Derrick Yam led to a big Liberty League win for the men's soccer team, defeating Bard 2-1 on a cold Tuesday evening.
 
The Thoroughbreds pick up a big three points, staying in the thick of a crowded playoff race at 4-1-2, and 7-5-3 overall. Skidmore currently has 14 points with a game to go, two points away from the top spot. The Raptors fall to 6-7-3 overall, and 1-6 in league play.
 
Oyeniyi and Park tallied the only Skidmore goals, with Ben Caples and Nick Masiero grabbing an assist each. Derrick Yam came up big late, making three saves in 90 minutes of play.
 
Jasper Shorter scored the lone tally for Bard, on a Nick Shenberger assist. Taylor Bond made four saves in net for the Raptors.
 
In the 26th minute, Caples took a throw in from the Bard sideline, and launched it deep into the penalty box. Oyeniyi battled through the defenders and received the ball, heading it high on the right side of the net for his first goal of the season.
 
Skidmore doubled up the advantage just over 10 minutes later. With Masiero possessing the ball deep in the penalty box and battling a defender, he wisely fed the ball to Park, who was positioned at the top of the box. Park launched a shot that beat Bond to the right, also scoring his first tally of the year.
 
In the second half, Bard turned up the pressure on the Skidmore defense. In the 58th minute, off a free kick opportunity from about 30 yards out, Jake Cicero's resulting header from point blank range was snatched out of the air by Yam.
 
Bard brought it to within one in the 70th minute. Shenberger fed Shorter across the box, who fired a low shot that beat Yam in the left corner.
 
A few minutes later, Bard was poised to tie the game, as Lucas Bourgine received the ball off a deflection in the box. He went to flick it high in the right corner of the net, but Yam instinctively dove to his right, just getting a fingertip on the ball to make a crucial save.
 
The Skidmore defense tightened up the rest of the way, allowing just one shot over the final 10:54 of play.
 
Skidmore edged Bard in the shot battle, 13-11, and 6-4 in shots on goal. Both teams earned two corner kicks.
 
The Thoroughbreds will honor seniors Oyeniyi, Masiero, Yam, Tesfaye Paine, Mike Lemnios, and Yuta Nakagawa in the season finale against Union on Saturday at 3 p.m., with a spot in the conference playoffs on the line.