Box Score Box Score

CANTON, NY—Junior Alex Shkreli (Bedford/Fox Lane) (Bedford/Fox Lane) and senior Raymond Fitzpatrick (Garden City/Garden City) (Garden City/Garden City) each scored today, but the Oneonta State men's soccer team fell 3-2 to St. Lawrence in the opening game of the 2011 Lotto Tournament hosted by the Saints. The Red Dragons fall to 1-1 on the season with the loss in its first road contest of the season.

The Saints were without first-team All America Brendan Gorman, who is likely out for the season after a summer soccer injury, but junior Sam DeMello, a second team All America as a sophomore, scored one goal and assisted on another as the Saints built a 3-1 lead and then held off the Red Dragons for their first win of the season.

The two teams traded early goals as Oneonta broke the scoring ice when Shkreli took a through pass from Nicholas Lange (Freeville/Dryden) (Freeville/Dryden) and went one-on-one with Saint goalie Nate Goss-Woliner at the 20:18 mark for the game's first goal.

The Saints had an almost immediate response as junior Brian Gilloran crossed the ball at the top of the box to senior captain Dan Marvin and Marvin fired a hard shot back across the goalmouth, hitting inside the far post at 22:56.

DeMello then set up the go-ahead goal at 57:29 as he evaded a defender and sent a lead pass into the box where Gilloran controlled the ball and went one-on-one with goalie Maxwell Siegelman (Roslyn/Roslyn) (Roslyn/Roslyn), scoring from point blank range.

DeMello then took a throw-in from Mike Manfredi to give the Saints a 3-1 lead just over six minutes later as his hard shot could not be controlled by Siegelman and deflected into the net off his hands on a diving attempt at a save at 63:39.

Oneonta got one back when junior Eric Fortier (Pleasant Valley/Arlington) (Pleasant Valley/Arlington) crossed the ball to the far post for a header goal by Fitzpatrick at 69:19, but the Saints were able to hold on for the win with the help of a big defensive play by junior back Will Congdon, who took the ball just short of the goal line and cleared it with 6:55 to play to protect the one-goal lead.

The Saints held an 18-17 edge in overall shots with Goss-Wolliner making six saves for the win while Siegelman finished with seven saves for the Red Dragons. SLU had a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.

Oneonta will play Clarkson, a 3-0 loser today to Eastern Connecticut tomorrow at 2 p.m.