SUNYAC CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINAL ROUND – #5 NEW PALTZ HAWKS AT #1 BUFFALO STATE BENGALS
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 – 1:00 PM
Coyer Field – Buffalo, NY
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VIDEO (OFFICIAL SUNYAC BROADCAST)
LAST TIME OUT… Last time out, the Bengals played to a 0-0 draw against the Hobart Statesmen in a non-conference matchup to close out the regular season. The Statesmen outshot the Bengals 15-12 overall despite neither side being able to find the back of the net.
THE MATCHUP… The top-seed Buffalo State Bengals will host the Hawks in their second matchup this season. Being the top overall seed, Buffalo State earned a first-round bye and will play their first match of the SUNYAC Tournament. The Hawks make the trip to Buffalo after defeating the Plattsburgh Cardinals in penalty kicks in the first round.
This will be the 38
th meeting since 1990 between Buffalo State and New Paltz. Buffalo State holds a 20-15-2 series lead while winning six of the last nine matchups. The last time these teams met in the SUNYAC Tournament was a season ago where the Bengals came away with a thrilling 1-0 victory to advance to the semifinal game.
Buffalo State will be competing in the SUNYAC Tournament for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. Under Head Coach
Francesco Cardillo, the Bengals have reached the postseason in all but one season. Buffalo State has reached the SUNYAC Semifinals four times now in Cardillo's tenure in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
New Paltz will be competing in the postseason for the sixth time since 2016. Last time out, the Hawks came away with a first-round victory over the Plattsburgh Cardinals on penalty kicks. Under Head Coach Kyle Clancy's tenure, the Hawks have consistently been one of the top teams in the conference and a defensive unit that has been statistically one of the best in the country.
The winner of this semifinal will play the winner of #2 Oneonta vs. #3 Cortland for the SUNYAC Championship on Saturday.
LAST TIME WE MET… The two sides met earlier this season where the Hawks earned a 2-0 victory, ending Buffalo State's chances at an undefeated season. To this point, the New Paltz win has been the only loss the Bengals have faced this season.
Ryan Zindler and Tim Kane each scored late in the second half to give the Hawks the win. New Paltz outshot the Bengals 16-11 and had the advantage in corner kicks with five compared to the Bengals three.
THE BENGAL BREAKDOWN… At 14-1-3 (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.
As a team, the Bengals have lit up the scoreboard as they sit second in the conference in goals, assists, points, shots on goal, and sit atop the SUNYAC with nine shutouts. The team also sits 14
th in the nation in goals, 18
th in points, and fifth in shutouts.
GO DIEGO GO… Diego Rivera (East Meadow, NY/Cairo Durham) has been a staple on the Bengals offense in each of his first two seasons. Rivera leads the conference with 37 points on 15 goals and seven assists. He also has two hat tricks this season coming against Elmira and Oswego.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS… Rivera's 15 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 39 assists on the year.
Manu Prieto (Cascais, Portugal/Salesianos do Estoril) leads the team with 15 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.
OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE… Buffalo State has tallied 139 points total on the year. That mark is second in the conference, only trailing Cortland with 144 points, and is the 18
th best mark in the country.
IN GOAL FOR THE BENGALS… Shae Wirt (Overland Park, KS/St. Thomas Aquinas) has started every game in goal for the Bengals and player all but 20 minutes. Across 18 games, Wirt has accumulated 61 saves and a 0.792 save percentage along with nine shutouts. That shutout total ranks him fifth in Division III.
STRONG ON DEFENSE… The trio of
Salvador Gomes (Lisbon, Portugal/Colegio de S. Thomas),
Tapiwa Mushonga (Johannesburg, South Africa/Hilton College), 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.
REVENGE TOUR… Buffalo State has been shutout twice all season long. Once to New Paltz in their only loss of the season, and once against Hobart in a 0-0 draw. The Bengals will aim to bounce-back and breakthrough against a tough Hawks' defense.
EYES ON THE HAWKS… At 9-7-2 (5-3-1 SUNYAC), the New Paltz Hawks continue to be a consistent contender in the SUNYAC. Brandon Dhanoolal leads the Hawks on offense with 17 points on eight goals and an assist. Brian Boylan has four assists to lead the team while Christian Micheli has made 65 saves in goal with a .793 save percentage.
SCHEDULES/RESULTS…
BUFFALO STATE BENGALS: 14-1-3 (7-1-1 SUNYAC)
NEW PALTZ HAWKS: 9-7-2 (5-3-1 SUNYAC)
