Three weeks into the Upstate New York Men’s DII college season and already theres been a bit of a shakeup.

SUNY Geneseo, 4-4 last year, has jumped out to a 2-1 record with wins over Buffalo State and, this past weekend, SUNY Oswego. Their only loss was a close 29-24 decision to RIT.

“We’ve improved on the defensive side of the ball quite a bit, cutting down on penalties, firing up flat and together,” said Geneseo Coach Stephen Parker. “This past spring season we did well to develop chemistry between our players, which led to a better flow rather than inconsistency.”

Leading the way for Geneseo are co-captains Joe Goldbloom (No. 8), and David Levy (flyhalf). Goldbloom is a strong leader and an excellent defender - making his tackles and making sure they count. But he’s also tough to contain on the offensive side of the ball. He’s a hard runner who can break tackles. 

Levy is a smart decision-maker with good skills - he can kick on the run and his passing puts players into space.

Bolstering that pair are wings Jon Ceide and Connor Mack, who have been having good season so far, and hardworking flanker and defensive leader Graham Harrison.

For Parker, it’s all working a little bit better, and it needs to be in a conference that is getting tougher.

“The conference this year is a lot more competitive from top to bottom,” said Parker. “RIT has a solid team this year and play great defense, forcing you to make a mistake and then capitalize on it. Our game against Oswego at Oswego was very good game. Both sides could take the momentum away from the other at any moment. We played a very smart game and great defense in our 22, while on offense you keep chipping away until you find the gap or someone makes a spectacular play. We had a few more plays than them and thats why we ended up on top.”

Still there’s work to do for all. While Geneseo has to be happy to be 2-1 after playing some of the more difficult teams in the conference, including 2015 playoff winners SUNY Oswego, they still have some challenges ahead. Among them SUNY Cortland, which is 3-0, as is RIT. The key for teams in Upstate NY is that there’s a playoff system, which means a loss or two isn’t the end of the road. For Parker, the key will be adaptability.

“The ability to adapt to who you are playing and exploiting the weaknesses you find throughout the course of play is key,” he said. “If you remain rigid to a system that isn't working expect to lose.”

Next up for Geneseo is Fredonia, a game they are favored to win. Then they take on LeMoyne, a 1-2 team that lost very close ones to Oswego and Cortland. Then Geneseo finishes up against very difficult opponents Cortland and Niagara. given the way this conference has gone so far, those final four games could go 4-0 or 1-3 for the Knights.