SUNY Oneonta Athletics

The No. 5 SUNY Oneonta men's soccer team was held scoreless for just over 87 minutes today before a goal by junior Jake Sutherland (Syracuse/West Genesee) tied the game at 1-1 on a corner kick.  The Red Dragons then ended the game in the 95^th minute on a goal by freshman Cory Santangelo (Sayville/Sayville), as Oneonta (10-0-2/4-0-1 SUNYAC escaped Potsdam (6-6-1/1-3 SUNYAC with a 2-1 victory to remain unbeaten.
 
"Today was a real character performance," said Coach Iain Byrne.  "We conceded very early and then pushed for a goal the remainder of the match. Once we equalized, we had the momentum to kick on and get the winner on OT. I give credit to Potsdam, as they gave us as hard a match as we have had this season."
 
Just 2:39 into the contest, Potsdam senior captain Alex Minsker took a long arcing shot from the left side of the box. Red Dragon senior goalie Vincent Pellegrino (Baldwin/Baldwin) dove to his left to make the save, but Ben Firlit was there to bury the rebound.
 
Oneonta responded with unwavering pressure, but Potsdam keeper Nick Davies kept the Red Dragons scoreless through the first half.
 
Oneonta kept the heat on Potsdam in the final period, but could not break through early. Davies made five saves in the second half. With 4:41 remaining Potsdam junior midfielder Tom Benedetto nearly gave the Bears the insurance they needed, but Pellegrino robbed him at the right side of the net. Two and a half minutes later, the Red Dragons made them pay, as junior midfielder Greg Silvestro (West Sayville/Connetquot) launched a corner kick into the Bears' box and Sutherland headed home his fourth goal of the season to tie the score. With 50 seconds remaining in regulation, Santangelo hit the crossbar with a shot and Davies pulled it out of the air before it crossed the line.
 
In overtime, Davies made his final save on a shot off the foot of senior midfielder Mitchell Cain (Marcy/Whitesboro) in the 94th minute. Just over a minute later, junior midfielder Sean Vinberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) took the trhow in and got it to junior Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury), who sent a kick to the left side of the box where Santangelo beat Davies to the ball and sent it home to end the contest.  For Santangelo, it was his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
 
Statistically, Oneonta dominated the match, outshooting the Bears 26-5 while having an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.  Pellegrino made two saves to improve to 6-0-1 on the year.
 
Oneonta will be back in action again tomorrow, as they complete their trip to the North Country against Plattsburgh.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm.