POTSDAM, N.Y. - It's probably fitting that the Bard College men's soccer team played the final minutes of its first-ever Liberty League victory on its heels, defending until the very end, scratching, clawing and hanging on by the skin of their teeth. It took everything everyone had.

Nothing has come easy since the Raptors joined the Liberty League in 2011. They were 0-28-1 in conference play heading into Saturday's game at Clarkson, and this season alone they were 0-5 and had been outscored, 21-0.

But somebody forgot to tell Bard. Or maybe they did know and just chose to ignore it. Either way, the wait is now over.

Bard beat Clarkson, 1-0.

"The guys have put in so much work," Bard coach Andy McCabe said. "There have been games where we've been blown away that could have gone either way ... there's a fine edge there. Today we came down on the right side of the edge. They were ecstatic."

Bard sophomore Austin Higgins, who was moved to center back after leading Bard in scoring over the first several games, scored the eventual game-winner in the 36th minute. A header by Mark Mannara was deflected and led to a corner kick. Shaw McCabe hit the corner, and the 6-foot-3 Higgins went over the top of a Clarkson defender and headed it in from six yards out.

"He was leaning right over the top of the guy and he pumped that baby in," McCabe said.

Then it became about defending. After being outshot in the first half by Bard, 5-3, Clarkson had a 12-1 edge in the second half. But the Golden Knights couldn't break through on Senior Day. Higgins cleared a ball off the line in the 60th minute to maintain the lead.

"Our back line was pretty tired after a tough game on Saturday," McCabe said. "Clarkson had acres of space in midfield and they were pinning us back. But we didn't crack. Our marking in the box was excellent, and although we were physically mismatched sometimes, nobody backed down."

Clarkson produced 10 corners in the second half, several in the final minutes, even sending their keeper into the box on the last two. Daniel Gagne finished with nine saves.

"I'm very happy for them," McCabe said. "I'm happy for me, too. We're a much better team now that we know what kind of effort and focus it takes to win a game in this league.

"This first one is going to last a long time," McCabe concluded.

Bard has two games remaining, both conference matches. They'll play at Skidmore on Oct. 28 and host Vassar on Nov. 1.