The SUNY Oneonta men's soccer team will play host to an opening weekend in the 2019 NCAA Division III tournament this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 16-17.  The Red Dragons will play Babson on Saturday afternoon at 1:30pm on Red Dragon Field.  Admission to the game is $6 general admission, $3 for seniors and students with their ID and $2 for children ages 3-12.  Children under two are free.
 
In the other first round game on Saturday, Messiah will take on Framingham State at 11am.  The two Saturday winners will play each other on Sunday at 1pm in the second round.
 
Oneonta (17-2) earned the automatic berth into this year's field of 64 after defeating Plattsburgh 1-0 this past Saturday to win the SUNYAC championship.  The conference title was the eleventh overall in program history and sixth during this decade.  The Red Dragons are making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament since becoming eligible for the tournament in 2008 after rejoining D3 in 2006.  The Red Dragons previously qualified for the national tournament four times, three of them in the Division I tournament (1973-75).
 
The Red Dragons' goal is always to win a national championship and this year's squad is hoping to get back to the championship weekend for the first time since 2015.  In 2015, Oneonta reached the national semifinals for the third time in five years previously having advanced in 2011 and 2014.  Oneonta made its first appearance in the national semifinals in 1972 when they played in the first NCAA Division II tournament.  That year they played for the national title against SIU-Edwardsville and came up short 1-0.
 
"I'd like to thank the NCAA for giving us such an easy bracket!" joked Head Coach Iain Byrne.  "The Oneonta soccer fans are in for a treat this weekend, and our boys cannot wait to get going."
 
The Red Dragons enter this weekend riding a five-game win streak including four victories by shutout.  Oneonta finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in the Division III Coaches poll published by the United Soccer Coaches. 
 
Overall, Oneonta has scored 52 goals to this point in the season while holding its opponents to 12.  The Red Dragons have recorded 11 shutouts this fall for a shutout percentage of 58 percent.  The Red Dragons led the SUNYAC in goals allowed while being second in goals scored.  Oneonta also holds a significant advantage against its opponents in shots 333-203 and corner kicks 123-65.  The Red Dragons have enjoyed the home cooking this fall posting an 11-1 record on Red Dragon Field.
 
Offensively, the Red Dragons have been led all season long by the most prolific scorer in the nearly 65-year history of the men's program senior Witman Hernandez (Huntington/Walt Whitman).  Hernandez has been lights out scoring at a rate of more than one goal per game.  He enters this weekend with 23 goals and 10 assists for 56 points.  He leads all NCAA divisions in points and is second in goals scored nationally.  His year, thus far, has earned him SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades with more honors yet to be earned in the coming weeks.
 
"I can honestly say that I feel confident about this team as we enter the first round of NCAA's this weekend," said Hernandez.  "We have a strong mindset and are willing to put it all on the line to advance. If we keep playing the way we've been playing lately, we can accomplish a lot of great things."
 
The Red Dragons had a total of eight players earn All-Conference honors including Hernandez.  Other selections included juniors Roberto Ventura (Brentwood/Brentwood) and Scott Cebollero (Commack/Commack) named to the first team, senior Douglas Minogue (Miller Place/Miller Place), sophomore Matt Howe (Hopewell Junction/John Jay) and freshman Nate Hanna (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) named to the second team and sophomores Arkadij Raiz (Oceanside/Oceanside) and Tristan Battistoni (Pleasant Valley/Arlington) earning third team nods.
 
Ventura has been coming on as of late and is second on the team in scoring with 13 points on four goals and five assists.  Howe is third with 12 points on three goals and a team-leading six assists.  Sophomore Jeremy Pantoni (Goshen/Goshen) and freshman Lucas Fecci (Somers/Somers) both have reached double figures in points this fall with 11 and 10 respectively.
 
Defensively, Oneonta has an overall goal against average of 0.62 just outside top-10 in Division III.  Hanna has assumed the starting role and has been solid between the posts.  Hanna has posted 11 wins with only one defeat this fall while recording eight shutouts and a save percentage of .860.  Minogue, Cebollero and Battistoni have been fixtures in front of Hanna forming a stout back line.
 
Of the three teams that are here this weekend, Oneonta has faced both Babson and Messiah previously.  The Red Dragons are 1-1-1 in three matches including a pair versus Messiah.  Oneonta defeated Babson in 2014, 4-0, in its only contest against the Beavers.  Oneonta faced Messiah in back-to-back years (2013, 2014) tying the Falcons in 2013 when they were ranked No. 1 in the Coaches Poll.
 
Sunday's winner will advance to the sectional round next weekend where the tournament will be narrowed down to the final four teams.  The national championship weekend is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7 in Greensboro, N.C. on the campus of UNC-Greensboro.
 
"It never gets old hosting the NCAA Tournament," Byrne commented.  "I'd like to welcome Babson, Messiah, and Framingham State to Oneonta.  I can guarantee they are going to love the experience in one of college soccer's most atmospheric settings."
 
Scouting Babson
After going 5-4-2 over its first 11 matches, Babson ended the season with wins in nine of its final 10 games and enters the NCAA Tournament at 14-5-2 overall. The Beavers went unbeaten (5-0-2) in league play for the second year in a row and grabbed a share of its second consecutive NEWMAC regular season title. Following a 2-1 OT victory against Wheaton in the conference semifinals, senior Alex Crompton scored with three seconds left in the second overtime to push Babson past WPI 1-0 and give the program its first conference tournament crown since 2015.
 
The Beavers, who won Division III national championships in 1975, 1979 and 1980, are making its 17^th NCAA Tournament appearance under legendary head coach Jon Anderson '75 and the 28^th overall in program history. The Green and White reached the sectional semifinals in both 2010 and 2011 but have failed to advance out of the first round in each of its last four tournament appearances.
 
Crompton, who has a point in five consecutive games, leads Babson with eight goals and eight assists for 24 points. Crompton and sophomore Mitchell Collins (8-5-21) are tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals.  Senior Youcef Ziad has four goals and six assists for 14 points, and classmate Ben Holman (3-6-12) has produced career highs in every scoring category this fall. In all, seven different players have produced at least 10 points for the Beavers, who have scored the program's most goals since 2011.
 
Defensively, Babson is led by a pair of two-time All-Conference selections in senior goalkeeper Steven Heintzelman and sophomore center back Liam Hanlon. Heintzelman boasts a 0.94 GAA and a .832 save percentage to go along with six solo shutouts in 18 starts.
 
The Beavers will face their fourth nationally ranked opponent of the season when they face Oneonta on Saturday. Babson is 2-1 this season against ranked foes, which includes a 3-2 OT loss at Amherst back on September 10 and wins over then Tufts (2-0) on October 8 and a 2-1 victory over Connecticut College on October 15. The triumph over the defending national champions snapped the Jumbos' 30-game unbeaten streak.
 
Scouting Messiah
After dropping the first two games of the season by identical 1-0 scores to Hobart and Ithaca, the Falcons have gone 16-0-2 in their last 18 games, including a dozen straight wins to end the regular season and claim their 18th Conference Title in program history. Messiah went a perfect 8-0-0 in conference play to clinch the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
 
Messiah earned a 4-0 victory over the Stevenson Mustangs in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals before edging the Lycoming Warriors 2-1 in the Conference Title Game to clinch a spot in their 30th NCAA Tournament. Keeper Nate Flanders earned Tournament MVP honors after making a career-high nine saves in the Championship Match.

Messiah's defense has been their strength this season, allowing just 11 goals through 20 games this year. The Falcons' 0.538 goals against average is the fifth-best mark in the country. Messiah's defense has only gotten better throughout the season. In their last 13 games (1190 minutes), the Falcons have conceded just four goals while scoring 34 of their own.
 
Senior defender, Cooper Robbins was named the MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year to lead 10 All-Conference honors for the Falcons. Messiah's Ben Lefever won Conference Rookie of the Year honors after starting 19 of 20 games this season while scoring six goals. Head coach Brad McCarty was named the Conference's Coach of the Year for the fourth-straight season (sixth overall).
 
As mentioned, the Falcons enter their 30th NCAA Tournament this weekend. Messiah owns a stellar 87-16-5 (.829 winning percentage) in the NCAA Tournament with 15 Final Four appearances and a record 11 National Titles. All 11 National Championships for the Falcons have come in the last two decades with the most recent Title coming in the 2017 season with a 2-1 victory over North Park.
 
Scouting Framingham State
The 2019 Framingham State men's soccer team enters the NCAA Tournament as automatic qualifiers from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). The Rams posted a 6-0-1 record in league play, claiming their second consecutive regular season title in 2019. Earning the top seed in the MASCAC Tournament the Rams defeated Worcester State 2-0 in the semifinal and second seed Salem State in the title game 1-0 behind tournament MVP Corey Davidge's two shutouts in net.
 
The Rams are led by 17-year head coach Dean Nichols who is bringing his squad to the NCAA Tournament for the third time and fourth appearance in program history.
 
The Rams were paced offensively by 2018 & 2019 MASCAC Offensive Player of the Year junior Bryce Nardizzi who tallied 25 points on nine goals and seven assists. First team All-MASCAC selection freshman Gustavo Cassemiro registered 23 points on nine goals and five helpers while fellow first-teamer senior Isaac De Souza added eight goals and two assists on the year.
 
MASCAC Tournament MVP Corey Davidge was 9-3 in net posting seven shutouts making 72 saves, with a save percentage of .857 and .90 goals against average. Sophomore All-MASCAC defender Steve Goll Kankam anchored a Rams defense who had a team goals against average of 0.28 in league play this fall.