CANTON, N.Y. -- Senior captain Baker Diaz scored a brace, while fellow senior captain Nicholas Petrone added a goal and an assist as the top-seeded St. Lawrence University men's soccer team defeated fourth-seeded Skidmore, 4-1, in a Liberty League semifinal on Friday afternoon at Sandy MacAllaster Field.
The Saints improved to 11-1-4 and advanced to the Liberty League Championship match for the fourth time since 2021. St. Lawrence will host the conference title game for the first time since 2022, when the Saints defeated Skidmore, 3-1, to capture the Liberty League crown.
The Saints wasted little time settling into the semifinal match after weathering early pressure from the Thoroughbreds. Sophomore goalkeeper Zach Amato made two saves in the opening nine minutes on attempts from Dylan Moore and Colin Goodhines to keep the match scoreless.
St. Lawrence broke through in the 19th minute; Kenneth Mejia Lopez had the ball in the midfield and centered a pass over to Petrone. The captain shook a defender and laid in a beautiful pass to Diaz, who put the finish on to take the 1-0 lead.
The assist was the 16th of Petrone's career, moving him within one of the program's top 12 all-time in career assists. It was also Petrone's ninth assist of the season, tying him for seventh in a season in program history.
The Saints continued to press and doubled their advantage in the 33rd minute. Diaz collected a long ball from Jack Greenwood on the backline and feathered a ball to Mejia Lopez on the wing. The sophomore crossed the ball in to Petrone, who finished for his seventh goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
Just over two minutes later, Kyle Reddish scored with his second goal of the season. He capped a stretch of three St. Lawrence goals in less than 17 minutes and sent the Saints into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Skidmore pushed forward in the second half looking for a way back into the match, but Amato and the Saints defense stood firm. The sophomore goalkeeper made three more saves after the break, including stops on Evan Riccelli, Moore, and Goodhines.
The Saints put the match away in the 70th minute when Diaz struck again. This time it was Mejia Lopez, who collected a long pass from Gustav Scheibler on the left wing. Mejia Lopez collected his second assist of the afternoon, finding Diaz, who found the back of the net for his second goal of the afternoon and a 4-0 advantage.
Skidmore broke up the shutout bid in the 86th minute when Connor Mansfield scored off an assist from Matias Sampedro, but the Thoroughbreds could get no closer as St. Lawrence closed out the 4-1 victory.
Amato finished with five saves, while Skidmore goalkeeper Dante Fierro stopped three shots. The Saints held a 13-11 edge in shots and a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal.
With the win, St. Lawrence advanced to the Liberty League Championship match for the first time since 2024, when the Saints traveled to Vassar and battled to a scoreless draw before falling in penalty kicks. They will look to capture their first Liberty League title since 2022 and do so on their home pitch against the Brewers on Sunday, November 8 at 1:30 p.m.