NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND – THOMAS COLLEGE TERRIERS VS. BUFFALO STATE BENGALS
Saturday, November 16, 2024 – 7:30 PM
Bella Field – Medford, MA (Hosted by Tufts)
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LAST TIME OUT… Last time out, the Bengals fell 3-1 to the Cortland Red Dragons in the SUNYAC Championship game.
Diego Rivera (East Meadow, NY/Cairo Durham) scored the lone goal for the Bengals while also leading the team with seven shots and three on goal.
Shae Wirt (Overland Park, KS/St. Thomas Aquinas) made six saves in goal for the Bengals. Buffalo State reach the SUNYAC Championship for the first time since 1984, and their 15 wins matched the program record for the most wins in a single season. Rivera,
Sam Gregson (Anglesey, Wales/Ysgol David Hughes) and
Manu Prieto (Cascais, Portugal/Salesianos do Estoril) were all named to the All-Tournament Team.
Much like the previous matchup of the two sides, neither offense could find the back of the net in the first half. Cortland had a pair of shots that bounced off the cross bar, but nothing would get passed Wirt. The Red Dragons scored a pair of goals each within the first five minutes of the second half to take control. After each side exchanged yellow cards, Rivera was able to dribble around a pair of Cortland defenders and find the back of the net to give the Bengals life and cut the Red Dragon lead in half. Late in the half, Cortland was able to score again on a penalty kick opportunity. The Red Dragons remained tough on defense as they ran out the clock to clinch the SUNYAC Championship. Cortland narrowly outshot the Bengals with a 16-15 advantage.
Mateo Marra, Stalyn Acosta and Matt Schultz each scored for Cortland while Marra also picked up an assist and was named Tournament MVP. Jordan Ott made six saves in goal for the Red Dragons.
THE MATCHUP/HOW WE GOT HERE… The Buffalo State Bengals earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 while Thomas College was an automatic qualifier after defeating SUNY Delhi, 2-0, in the NAC Championship. The two sides were pooled with host-Tufts and the MASCAC Champion Westfield State Owls. The winner of each matchup will play on Sunday for the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
LAST TIME WE MET… This will be the first time the two sides have faced each other.
THE BENGAL BREAKDOWN… At 15-2-3 (7-1-1), the Bengals earned the top-seed in the conference tournament after one of their best seasons in program history. After starting the season 12-0-1 (6-0-0 SUNYAC), the Bengals continued to show their consistency as one of the top teams in the SUNYAC, and finally cracked into the United Soccer Coaches Association Top 25 rankings. Poll 7 (October 22) saw the Bengals first appearance on the list at 24 while Poll 8 (October 29) had Buffalo State climb to 17, their highest national ranking since 2017. The team finished as the runner-up in the SUNYAC after falling to Cortland in the conference championships game.
As a team, the Bengals have lit up the scoreboard as they sit second in the conference in goals, points, shots on goal, and sit atop the SUNYAC with nine shutouts and 41 assists. The team also sits 22
nd in the nation in goals, 24
th in points, and eighth in shutouts.
Also for the Bengals, the team earned an at-large bid for the first time since 2017.
GO DIEGO GO… Rivera has been a staple on the Bengals offense in each of his first two seasons. Rivera leads the conference with 41 points on 17 goals and seven assists. He also has two hat tricks this season coming against Elmira and Oswego and was named the SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS… Rivera's 17 goals are the most for a Bengal in a season since Theo Pencic had 16 goals back in 2021.
SPREADING THE BALL AROUND… The Bengals have 41 assists on the year. Prieto leads the team with 17 of those assists. That mark is a single season program record, which was previously 14 assists held by Theo Pencic in 2021 and Scott Martin in 1999. Nine Bengals have at least one assist with seven of those nine have multiple assists on the year. Prieto sits atop the nation in that category.
OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE… Buffalo State has tallied 147 points total on the year. That mark is second in the conference, only trailing Cortland with 154 points, and is the 24
th best mark in the country.
IN GOAL FOR THE BENGALS… Wirt has started every game in goal for the Bengals and played all but 20 minutes. Across 20 games, Wirt has accumulated 75 saves and a 0.789 save percentage along with nine shutouts. That shutout total ranks him eighth in Division III.
STRONG ON DEFENSE… The trio of
Tapiwa Mushonga (Johannesburg, South Africa/Hilton College),
Salvador Gomes (Lisbon, Portugal/Colegio de S. Thomas), and
Matthew Stasyuk (Syracuse, NY/Marcellus) have paced the Bengals defensive unit. Buffalo State is allowing an average of less than one goal per game across this season.
ALL-SUNYAC… Buffalo State had eight members earn All-SUNYAC honors in Rivera, Prieto, and Gomes who earned First Team, Mushonga and Gregson who were Second Team, and Wirt,
Adam Webster (York, England/Woldgate College),
Aney Djadou (Buffalo, NY/Amherst) were Third Team.
TAKING NOTES ON THE TERRIERS… Thomas College enters the tournament as NAC Champions. After posting a record of 13-1-4 (8-0-2 NAC) on the year, the Terriers enter the tournament having not lost since early September.
Leading the Terrier offense is Joshua Joseph who tallied 48 points on 17 goals and 14 assists. Joseph has at least one point in every game this season except one, the one game Thomas has lost this season. Also having a strong season is freshman David Ivarsson who has 33 points on 12 goals and nine assists.
In goal for Thomas, the primary man has been first year Jamie Fischer who has posted an 11-1-4 record with four shutouts, 83 saves, and a .838 save percentage.
SCHEDULES/RESULTS…
BUFFALO STATE BENGALS: 15-2-3 (7-1-1 SUNYAC)
THOMAS COLLEGE TERRIERS: 13-1-4 (8-0-2 NAC)
