CANTON, N.Y. -- After 90 minutes of a back-and-forth match, the Oneonta men's soccer team ended their contest against St. Lawrence in a scoreless draw, Saturday afternoon in northern New York. Senior
James Cintron (Poughkeepsie, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) kept the net empty for a clean sheet and finished with five saves for Oneonta, as the result moved both the Red Dragons and Saints to 3-0-1 this season.
"It was a tough game on a difficult pitch and we didn't do enough to win," Head Coach
Iain Byrne commented.
Cintron made the first save of the game in the seventh minute when he slid in front of Grant Gilmer's shot at the right corner of the goal area. A few minutes later, the Red Dragon keeper grabbed his second save from a deep cross that was fading in towards him. In the 29th minute, St. Lawrence's Sammy Bothwell took a shot from outside the 18 and Cintron was able to corral it for his third stop.
Oneonta had a handful of opportunities to get on the board in the first half. Graduate student
Milton Mancias Magana (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) took a free kick in the 20th from the corner that had to be punch-saved by Zach Amato, then in the 22nd minute, graduate student
Zach Rabadi (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay) brought the ball into the box for a shot from the right side, but it was stopped by the Saints keeper. During the 27th and 29th minutes, junior
Nico Loaiza (Brentwood, NY/Brentwood) and senior
Imari Harris (Kingston, NY/Kingston) each ripped a shot on goal, yet they were both saved by Amato.
Harris had a pair of chances to put Oneonta ahead in the second half at the 48th and 49th minute, however each shot was stopped. The Oneonta senior finished the game with three shots on goal off four attempts.
Cintron stepped up for the Red Dragons a couple more times in the 47th and 53rd to keep the game scoreless. The Saints' final chance happened when Eric Edmonds received the ball from eight yards out and had his first shot blocked by a defender. Edmonds gathered the ball for a second shot in front of the net and forced Cintron to make a quick save.
Following Cintron's stop on Edmonds, neither team recorded another shot on target.
St. Lawrence outshot Oneonta 18-11 in total shots, while Oneonta had six shots on goal to the host team's five. The Saints finished with a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.
The Red Dragons are back in action on Tuesday, September 15, for the Battle of the Hills at Hartwick at 7 pm.
