Both teams traded chances throughout the first half, with play swinging back and forth between the two goal boxes. The defenses held strong, but Beekmantown finally broke through with 10:31 remaining in the half.

A moment of confusion between a Saranac defender and goalkeeper Damian Lannon left an opening, and Beekmantown’s Hamza Fakir pounced, slotting the ball into the net for what would stand as the game’s lone tally.

Fakir said afterward the Eagles were focused on keeping the pressure on. “We were able to create some good chances most of the night. They just didn’t go in. You have to credit their keeper for staying in there and making it tough on us. We were moving the ball well and getting their defense moving side to side.”

From there, the battle shifted to a showcase of goalkeeping and defensive resilience. Lannon stood tall for the Spartans, finishing with 16 saves, several of them highlight-worthy. In the second half, he denied a flurry of Eagle chances, including back-to-back stops on Dylan Brown with just over 14 minutes to play.

“Pretty much my mindset was to do anything I could to keep it a one-goal game,” Lannon said. “We tried our best on the back line, but they pushed us and kept us down there. Everybody worked hard.” He added that despite the result, the Spartans never quit: “We’ve been in every game — all one-goal losses. We just have to keep bringing the energy. We’ll see these teams again.”

Saranac didn’t just absorb pressure — they generated plenty of their own. The Spartans finished with 21 shots, testing Beekmantown’s defense repeatedly in the final 20 minutes. They earned a pair of dangerous set pieces in the closing minutes, but the Eagles’ back line cleared each ball calmly. Beekmantown keeper Jasper Burdo made 17 saves of his own, though his workload was eased by the Eagles’ ability to win clearances before shots could develop.

“Our back line did a great job,” Beekmantown coach Ryan Loucy said. “Edward Sweenor, Braden Nephew, Logan Estes, Jackson Goodwin — they all stuck their heads and feet in to clear balls out of tough spots. And Jasper’s communication back there is excellent. He keeps everyone in line, and the guys really listen to him.”

Nephew echoed that message from a player’s view. “We did a great job communicating with each other tonight,” he said. “They’re a team that can score multiple goals quickly, so it was very important we kept the ball away from their scorers. And Jasper does a great job keeping us where we need to be. He’s like having a coach on the field.”

The Eagles (who host Peru next Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m.) created several chances to double their lead but couldn’t solve Lannon again. Brown nearly struck twice, while Evan Latinville and Troy DeMarse each had quality looks turned away.

For Saranac, coach Calvin Hamel credited his players for bouncing back after a sluggish start.

“We were asleep in the first half, and that hurt us,” he said. “Part of that’s on our preparation — we’ve had guys banged up and haven’t practiced as much as we need to. But I thought our second half was much better. We made some adjustments and created chances. At the end of the day, Beekmantown is a senior-heavy, physical team, and they won a lot of 50-50 balls. We’ll clean that up.”

The Spartans will be back in action Monday (Sept. 22, 6 p.m.) when they host Section X’s Canton before traveling to Northeastern Clinton the next night (Tuesday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.).

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Our apologies — we had hoped to include video of our postgame interview with Beekmantown goal-scorer Hamza Fakir and defender Braden Nephew, but technical difficulties prevented us from doing so. Again, we’re very sorry.)

(Note: Many PSN stories are drafted with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence and coach questionnaires, but all factual reporting, onsite observations, insight into what happened and why, interviews, and final editing is provided by Potassium Sports Network staff. For post-game video interviews, athletes are asked for their consent and coaches confirm participation. For more details, please visit https://potassiumsportsnetwork.com/about-psn).