CORTLAND, N.Y. -- In a tightly contested SUNYAC final, the No. 23 SUNY Oneonta men's soccer team were defeated by No. 6 Cortland, 1-0, Saturday afternoon. The lone goal was scored by Jack Coleman in the 24th minute. Seniors
John Bernardi (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac),
Nate Hanna (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker), and sophomore
Joe Holder (Greenwood Lake, N.Y./Warwick) were named to the All-Tournament Team.
"We can't have any complaints," said head coach
Iain Byrne. "We played great and had lots of chances, but we just couldn't put one in."
Cortland scored halfway through the first when Mateo Marra gained possession of the ball just past midfield and started to bring it up towards the penalty area. When a couple Oneonta defenders collapsed in on him, Marra passed it to the right to Coleman who took a few strides more so to the right for some space and shot from 20 yards out for the goal.
Bernardi, junior
Luigi Prosperi (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) and Holder all recorded a shot on net before the end of the half, however Jordan Ott saved all three shots. Oneonta continued the constant pressure in the second half but could not find the back of the net. Hanna kept the team's chance alive when he made three incredible saves in a 90-second window during the 73rd and 74th minute. Junior
Ali Somow (Utica, N.Y./Proctor) recorded the last three shots on goal for Oneonta, including the final shot in the 84th minute on a free kick, only for Ott to make the stops.
Hanna finished with seven saves while Ott had nine for Cortland.
Oneonta had a 15-12 advantage in shots, 9-8 in targets over Cortland, and a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
After the game, sophomore
Braeden Morrison (Marathon, N.Y./Marathon) was awarded the SUNYAC Elite 20 award. The SUNYAC Elite 20 is an award modeled after the NCAA ELITE 90 program, which recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Morrison has a 4.0 GPA and is majoring in exercise science.
Oneonta (14-3-3) will now wait to see if they will receive an at-large berth for the 2023 NCAA DIII men's soccer tournament. The selection show and bracket release is on Monday, November 6, at 2 pm.
