For the second straight game, The SUNY Oneonta men's soccer team completely dominated in the second half to capture a victory.  Today, it was a three-goal second half that pushed them to a 3-0 victory against New Paltz on Senior Day.
 
The win today for Oneonta 11-3-1/6-1 SUNYAC) kept them in first place in the conference while clinching a playoff spot.  The Red Dragons have two games remaining in the SUNYAC regular season and are looking to secure the top seed for the conference tournament that begins with first round games on Saturday, Oct. 31.  If Oneonta secures first or second place, they will receive a first-round bye and will host a semifinal game on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
 
After playing a scoreless opening 45 minutes, Oneonta finally broke through in the 52^nd minute on a goal by senior Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury).  Williams dribbled masterfully into the box and around a couple of New Paltz defenders before putting a low shot just inside the left post to give the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead.  The goal was Williams' third of the season.
 
Eight minutes later, the junior duo of Hans Purtell (Johnson City/Johnson City) and Anthony Passiatore (South Setauket/Ward Melville) connected to give Oneonta a two-goal advantage.  Purtell controlled the ball inside the top right corner of the box before dropping a pass to Passiatore, who then hammered a shot to the upper left corner of the goal that shook the goal as it went in and came back out.
 
Oneonta took advantage of New Paltz being a player down due to a red card to score its final goal of the match.  Four minutes after losing the player, a trio of seniors combined to put the ball to the back of the goal.
 
The play started with Greg Silvestro (West Sayville/Connetquot) who sent a ball into the box to the left post where Jared Van Brunt (Sayville/Sayville) headed it across the front of the goal to a waiting Jake Sutherland (Syracuse/West Genesee), who finished the play with a volley to the back of the goal.
 
Senior Vincent Pellegrino (Baldwin/Baldwin) made three saves to record his sixth shutout of the season.
 
Oneonta outshot New Paltz (10-6/3-4 SUNYAC), 15-4, including 10-3 in the second half.
 
The 11 seniors for Oneonta shared the introduction of the starting lineups with their parents on the field today.  Including today's game, this senior class has a record of 57-14-9 overall, which includes a 28-3-3 record in the SUNYAC.  These seniors have won a pair of conference titles, made three NCAA appearances with a trip to the national semifinals last fall.