In the winner gets a first-round bye match today in the SUNYAC, it was host SUNY Oneonta grabbing a 3-1 victory against the visiting Buffalo State Bengals to secure no worse than a second place finish in the standings.  A win by the Red Dragons tomorrow against Fredonia and a loss by Cortland will mean first place overall for Oneonta.
 
"Today we saw why Buffalo State is ranked in the Region this week," said Coach Iain Byrne.  "At 3-0, we looked to be in great shape, but they refused to give in and made us earn the victory."
 
The action was back-and-forth in the opening 15 minutes of play.  In the eighth minute Oneonta (13-3-1/6-1-1 SUNYAC) generated a pair of chances off a corner kick.  Fortunately for Buffalo State (10-5-1/5-3 SUNYAC) Witman Hernandez (Huntington/Walt Whitman)'s shot was blocked and Justin Cebollero (Commack/Commack)'s shot was taken off the end line by a Bengal defender.
 
Three minutes later, Buffalo State was able to penetrate deep into the box and a shot by sophomore Bass Sarr hit the left post.
 
The Red Dragons seized momentum in the 23^rd minute when a foul was called in the box awarding a penalty kick to Oneonta.  Senior Captain Anthony Passiatore (South Setauket/Ward Melville) stepped up and buried the kick to give Oneonta a 1-0 lead.
 
Oneonta continued its pressure and was rewarded on a nice goal by junior Jake Sweeney (East Moriches/Center Moriches) in the 39^th minute.  Classmate Brandon Arango (Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) held up a ball at the top of the box and slid a pass over to Sweeney who then hit it with the outside of his right foot into the left corner for his first goal of the season.
 
The Red Dragons took its two-goal lead and a 7-2 advantage in shots into halftime.
 
Oneonta tacked on another goal early in the second half on Cebollero's second goal of the season.  Cebollero took advantage of a misplay on a free kick out of the back by freshman keeper Ryan Wilson (Poughkeepsie/Arlington).  Wilson sent a solid kick to just outside the box where the ball was mishandled.  Cebollero collected the ball and chipped a shot over the charging Bengal keeper.
 
Buffalo State, who edged Oneonta in shots, 7-6, in the second half, didn't lie down.  They continued to attack looking for opportunities to get back in the match.
 
Their work paid off in the 61^st minute on a free kick.  The ball was sent into the box where sophomore Robert Williamson was able to head a pass to classmate August Finn, who finished the play with a header of his own for the score.
 
Oneonta's home game tomorrow against Fredonia is scheduled for a 1pm start.