BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's soccer team fell short in the SUNYAC Championship as the Cortland Red Dragons came away with a 3-1 victory tonight on Coyer Field.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Cortland – 3, Buffalo State – 1
LOCATION: Coyer Field – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 15-1-3 (7-1-1 SUNYAC), New Paltz: 9-8-2 (5-3-1 SUNYAC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- 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 match 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.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- 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.
FOR THE FOES
- 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.
UP NEXT
The Bengals will wait for Monday afternoon where they will see if they have earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Buffalo State will look to reach the tournament for the first time since 2017.