SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Despite trailing in the final 20 minutes of play of their season opener, the Oneonta men's soccer team came back and defeated Union College, 3-1, on the road Friday evening. The match stayed scoreless until Union struck first midway through the second half, then Oneonta scored three unanswered goals in a span of eight minutes for the victory and to start the season 1-0.
Milton Mancias Magana (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) finished the night with a goal and an assist. The returning senior assisted sophomore
Anthony Traube (Centereach, N.Y./Centereach) to tie the match, then senior
Iyare Harris (Kingston, NY/Kingston) netted the game-winning goal in the 77th minute, before Mancias Magana recorded an insurance goal with eight minutes to play.
"It was a really tough game, but we showed our quality and character to come back from a goal down," said head coach
Iain Byrne. "It's always good to get that first win."
The Garnet Chargers (0-1) broke the tie in the 61st minute when they took a free kick a few yards from the side of the box and sent it towards the front of a crowded net where Declan Crowley got the final touch for the goal.
The Red Dragons tied the game in the 75th minute off a corner kick. Mancias Magana took the corner for the team and delivered a pass to Traube near the top corner of the box. With no defenders around him, Traube settled the ball quickly and fired it into the left side of the net for the equalizer.
Two minutes later, Oneonta gained the lead with Harris' goal in the 77th minute. Senior
Sam Rogers (Broadalbin, N.Y./Broadalbin-Perth) was in the corner when he passed the ball to the top of the penalty box to Harris. Harris had his first shot blocked by a Union defender, then he recovered the deflection and scored on his second attempt with a shot into the lower right side of the goal.
In the 82nd minute, Mancias Magana scored the final goal to put the game away with an assist from junior
Imari Harris (Kingston, NY/Kingston). Harris gained possession of the ball at midfield off a goal kick and sent a lead pass for Mancias Magana. The Mamaroneck-native moved the ball to the top of the box and laced one past the keeper for the 3-1 final.
Junior
James Cintron (Poughkeepsie, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) finished the game with two saves for the Red Dragons, while Jacob Perry had four saves for the Garnet Chargers.
Oneonta outshot Union 16-5 overall, 7-3 on target, and had a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
The Red Dragons are back in action on Monday, September 1, for their first home match of the season against Skidmore at 5 pm.
