ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta men's soccer team heads to western New York to face Buffalo State for the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Final on Saturday, November 8, at 3 pm at Coyer Field. General admission ticket sales are available online ONLY and are $8 for adults, $5 for ages 3-11, and free for any SUNYAC students with ID. You can find a link to the ticket sales at the top of the article, or HERE.

Oneonta comes in at 11-4-4 overall this season and made it to the conference finals after defeating New Paltz, 3-0, with senior Sam Rogers' (Broadalbin, N.Y./Broadalbin-Perth) hat trick in the first round, then the team advanced past Cortland in the semifinals in penalty kicks, 4-3, after Oneonta had to play a man down for more than 70 minutes in the match. Senior Luigi Prosperi (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) scored a brace in the match against Cortland, and freshman Noah Hechler (Somers, NY/Somers) recorded his first collegiate goal. 

Buffalo State enters the contest 13-1-5 overall with a 5-0-4 conference record. They received a first-round bye in the SUNYAC tournament and defeated Fredonia in the semifinals, 2-0.

The last time these two met was on October 15 in Oneonta, where the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Lesedi Sekhobo scored the first goal of the game to give the Bengals a lead in the 15th minute, then Red Dragon junior Zach Tanner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Saint Anthony's) tied the match in the 36th minute. Buffalo State finished the match with a 16-11 advantage in total shots, 12-7, on net, while Oneonta held a 7-5 edge in corner kicks.

(Oneonta team breakdown is similar to the 1st Round and Semifnals SUNYAC Preview)
Oneonta's offensive attack is spaced out as eight players have multiple goals, and 10 different players have recorded a game-winner this season. Only Rogers has multiple game-winning goals for the team. Sophomore Tommy Kliampas (South Huntington, NY/Walt Whitman) and Rogers both lead the team with 16 points and are tied for fifth in the SUNYAC. Kliampas is tied for third in the conference with eight goals, while Rogers has totaled six goals and four assists. Senior Joe Holder (Greenwood Lake, N.Y./Warwick) is tied with Rogers for sixth in the league in goals (6) and has added three assists for 15 points.

Senior Milton Mancias Magana (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) and Prosperi have both recorded five goals and four assists for 14 points, which is the 10th-most points in the SUNYAC. Senior Zach Rabadi (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) is fifth in the conference with six assists and he has scored two goals for 10 points. Tanner has two goals and five assists for nine points, and sophomore Nico Loaiza (Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood) added three goals and two assists for eight points this season.

Oneonta's defensive backline this season consisted of seniors Dillon Kelly (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Beacon), Braeden Morrison (Marathon, N.Y./Marathon), juniors Derek Jaramillo (Mahopac, NY/Lakeland), Adrian Matute (Islip, N.Y./Islip), sophomore Anthony Traube (Centereach, N.Y./Centereach) and Hechler. Kelly and Jaramillo are the only two of the defensive core that have appeared in every game this season.

Junior Imari Harris (Kingston, NY/Kingston) has started every game for Oneonta alongside Rabadi, and Kelly. Harris, Kelly, and Traube have all contributed on the offensive side with a goal and an assist for three points, while Hechler recorded his first goal against Cortland in the semifinals and an assist on Rogers' game-winning goal in the first round against New Paltz.

Cintron has manned the net for Oneonta for all 19 games, however after he received a red card last match, freshman Nico Osorio (Valley Stream, NY/St. Dominick's) is slated to make his first collegiate start. Osorio has appeared in three games for the Red Dragons this season and, most recently, came into the semifinal match, where he recorded four saves in 71 minutes and made a stop in penalty kicks.

On the other side of the pitch, Buffalo State is led by Diego Rivera. Rivera leads Division-III in goals (26) and points (60). The Bengals also have Sekhobo and Sam Gregson as offensive role players. Sekhobo has recorded four goals, including one against Oneonta, and three assists for 11 points this season, while Gregson has registered five goals and an assist for 11 points. Their main goalkeeper, Carson Smith, has totaled 48 saves in 18 games for an .828 save percentage. He has recorded nine shutouts and allowed 10 goals for a 0.56 goals against average.

The winner of this match will be crowned the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Champion and will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. Oneonta is playing for their program's 13th conference championship, the first since 2022, and Buffalo State is playing in their seventh conference final and is fighting for their program's first SUNYAC title since 1970.