BUFFALO, N.Y.—Top-seeded and nationally 18
th-ranked Buffalo State netted a pair of early goals and cruised to its second-consecutive SUNYAC championship game appearance, defeating visiting No. 4 Plattsburgh 2-0 in a conference semifinal match today at Coyer Field.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 2, Plattsburgh - 0
LOCATION: Coyer Field – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS: Buffalo State (16-1-2), Plattsburgh (11-9)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Plattsburgh applied a touch of early pressure, but Buffalo State opened the scoring in just the ninth minute when Tianna Hatch (Endicott/Elmira Free Acad.) one-touched a deflected pass from Jada Sargeant (Camillus/Marcellus) into the back of the net for her eighth goal of the season.
- The Bengals continued to control play from there and extended their lead in the 29th minute. Jenna Smolinski (Hamburg/Hamburg) stole the ball near midfield and sent a long through ball that was tracked down by Melissa Smith (N. Tonawanda/Niagara Wheatfield) who chipped it past the charging keeper for her league-best 14th tally of the year.
- Buffalo State closed the first half with a 10-2 advantage in shots and continue to control play for the bulk of the second half, finishing the contest outshooting Plattsburgh, 24-7.
- The Bengals also earned five corner kicks, compared to none by the Cardinals.
- Taylor Carillo (Pine Bush/Pine Bush) needed to make just three saves for her school-record 12th shutout of the season.
FOR THE FOES
- Nichole Gibson finished with eight saves for the Cardinals, while Madeline Saccocio had a team-high four shot attempts.
NOTEWORTHY
- Buffalo State set a school record with its 16th win of the season.
- The Bengals will make their second-consecutive SUNYAC Championship appearance and third in program history. Buffalo State is seeking its first conference title.
- Smith moved into fifth-place on Buffalo State's all-time scoring list with 62 career points (24 goals, 14 assists) despite playing just two seasons at Buffalo State after transferring in as a junior.
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will host Geneseo in the SUNYAC final on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Coyer Field. The second-seeded Knights knocked off No. 3 Oneonta, 3-0, in today's other semifinal.
