ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta men's soccer team brought the Mayor's Cup trophy back to Oneonta as they defeated UMass Boston with a pair of goals in each half for a 2-0 victory, Sunday afternoon at Red Dragon Field. Junior
Imari Harris (Kingston, NY/Kingston) scored the game-winning goal in the 30th minute, then senior
Sam Rogers (Broadalbin, N.Y./Broadalbin-Perth) netted the insurance goal in the 51st minute. This is the eighth time in the past 10 years the Red Dragons have won the Mayor's Cup. The win improved the team to 3-0-1 overall and it dropped the Beacons to 2-1-2 on the season.
"That was a big improvement on our recent performances," said head coach
Iain Byrne. "Our tempo was better, and we created chances."
Senior
Luigi Prosperi (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) earned the tournament's Offensive MVP award, while junior goalkeeper
James Cintron (Poughkeepsie, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) received the Defensive MVP award. Seniors
Milton Mancias Magana (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck),
Zach Rabadi (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay), and juniors
Zach Tanner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Saint Anthony's) and Harris were all named to the All-Tournament Team.
"The Mayor's Cup is a huge target for us every year," Byrne continued. " Congrats to the team and the individual award winners."
Oneonta put the pressure on UMass Boston early and generated nine shot attempts before they finally found the net in the 30th minute. Rabadi stole the ball at midfield and passed it to Rogers. Rogers found sophomore
Nico Loaiza (Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood), who dribbled it up the field and got it to Harris. Harris took one touch then kicked the ball 22 yards out, from the top of the penalty arc, into the upper right 90. The goal was Harris' first as a Red Dragon.
The Red Dragons added one more to their lead in the early moments of the second half at the 51st minute. The team moved the ball out from their zone and got it to senior
Dillon Kelly (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Beacon) at midfield. Kelly sent a long lead pass down the right side of the field to Tanner. Tanner gained possession near the right side of the penalty box and brought it to the end line for a centering pass. Rogers got the pass in the center of the 18-yard box with no one around him and fired the ball into the lower right side of the net for his first goal of the season.
Oneonta had a chance in the 52nd minute to extend their lead to three with a shot from Prosperi, but the shot hit the crossbar. Cintron faced a few shots in the second half, however he made all three stops and earned his second shutout of the season.
Cintron recorded four saves on the day for the Red Dragons and finished the weekend with six total saves. Nolan McKenna ended the day with six saves for the Beacons.
Oneonta finished the match with a 19-6 advantage in total shots, 8-4 in shots on goal, while UMass Boston had a 7-4 edge in corner kicks.
The Red Dragons are back on the pitch on Saturday, September 13, for a non-conference road match against Vassar at 2 pm.
2025 Mayor's Cup All-Tournament Team
Imari Harris (Kingston, NY/Kingston) – Oneonta
Milton Mancias Magana (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) – Oneonta
Zach Rabadi (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) – Oneonta
Zach Tanner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Saint Anthony's) – Oneonta
Ryan Doherty – UMass Boston
Patrick Garcia – UMass Boston
Ian Visnick – UMass Boston
Hunter Bulich – Hartwick
Devin Chandler – Hartwick
Cameron James – King's College
Phillip Permayashkin – King's College
