The SUNY Oneonta men's soccer team used a three-goal first half today in overpowering SUNY Geneseo, 4-0, in the semifinals of the SUNYAC tournament on Red Dragon Field.  The victory, which extended Oneonta's unbeaten season to 19 games, set up a date with its rivals from SUNY Cortland this Saturday for the conference championship.  Oneonta will host the championship game, which is scheduled for a 1pm kickoff.
 
Oneonta (17-0-2) dominated all phases of the match, winning the shot battle 13-5 (11-3 on goal) and corners 5-2. The Red Dragons used crisp passing to slice through the Knights' defense creating numerous chances.
 
Junior Hans Purtell (Johnson City/Johnson City) kicked off the scoring early in the fifth minute when he took a Matthew Matteo (Millerton/Webutuck) feed up the right side to score on the near side on a soft touch.  Matteo played a great ball over the top of the Geneseo defense where Purtell was able to track it down before heading to the goal.  Purtell added a second goal on the day when he capped the scoring for the Red Dragons in the 78^th minute off an assist from junior Alex Winiarski (Great Neck/St. Anthony's).
 
The Red Dragons made it 2-0 in the 21^st minute when leading scorer, freshman Cory Santangelo (Sayville/Sayville), recorded his 12^th goal of the season.  Santangelo took a crossing pass from the right flank by junior Colin Volpe (Commack/St. Anthony's) before getting off a shot that slid past the Geneseo keeper.
 
Junior Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) got his name on the score sheet at the 34-minute mark when he flicked a Volpe feed, which found an opening on the right side.
 
Senior Vincent Pellegrino (Baldwin/Baldwin) played all 90 minutes in the cage for Oneonta, earning the clean sheet with a trio of saves.  For Pellegrino, it was his 11^th shutout of the season, which sets a new single season mark for Oneonta.  David Carter set the old mark of 10 shutouts in 1990.
 
Saturday's game will feature the top two teams this season in the SUNYAC.  In their regular season matchup on Sep. 27, the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie.  Oneonta is seeking its third conference championship in the last four years.
 
Cortland defeated Brockport today, 1-0, in overtime to advance to Saturday's championship match.

Photos from today's game are posted on the team's Facebook page
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OStateMensSoccer?fref=ts
Follow men's soccer on Twitter: @OneontaSoccer