A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta women's lacrosse team opened SUNYAC play with a 16-14 win over Buffalo State Saturday afternoon at Coyer Field.

The Inside Story
The two teams battled back and forth in the first half with three lead changes and the scored being tied on five different occasions.  With the game knotted at 7-7 late in the first half, Kelsey Cohen (Baldwin/Baldwin) give the Red Dragons the lead for good on an assist from Lily Avazis (Port Washington/Schreiber).  Oneonta closed out the first with goals from Deirdre Buckley (Merrick/Kellenberg Memorial) and Kelsey Cohen (Baldwin/Baldwin) to make the score 10-7 at the break.

The Red Dragons held onto their slim lead for the entire second half. Buffalo State pulled within a goal on two different occasions. Leading 14-12 with under three minutes remaining in regulation, Sophia Calabrese (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) scored what proved to be the game winning goal on a pass from Deirdre Buckley (Merrick/Kellenberg Memorial). Clinging to a 15-14 advantage with less than a minute to play, Deirdre Buckley (Merrick/Kellenberg Memorial) found Victoria Varone (Commack/Commack) to seal the 16-14 victory with 36 seconds left on the clock.

Kelsey Cohen (Baldwin/Baldwin) paced the Red Dragons with five goals and an assist.  Victoria Varone (Commack/Commack) and Lily Avazis (Port Washington/Schreiber) tallied three goals apiece while Lauren Bascelli (Williston Park/Herricks) scored twice. Deirdre Buckley (Merrick/Kellenberg Memorial), Sophia Calabrese (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) and Christen Patalano (Mineola/Kellenberg Memorial) also found the back of the net for Oneonta.

Just the Stats
The two teams had 36 shots apiece, with Oneonta putting 31 on net. Oneonta was 13-for-16 on clear attempts while Buffalo State was 14-for-27.  Jaclyn Marry (Long Beach/Long Beach) made five saves in net for Oneonta in just over 42 minutes of action to earn the win.
 
What's Next
The Red Dragons win continue SUNYAC play on Wednesday, April 3rd when they host to New Paltz at 4:00 p.m.