PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. -- Regular-season champion Plattsburgh State will host the State University of New York Athletic Conference men's soccer tournament this weekend at the Cardinals Field House Complex. Friday's semifinal matchups are No. 3-seeded Geneseo against No. 2 Brockport at 1 p.m., followed by No. 4 Oneonta versus top-seeded Plattsburgh at 3:30 p.m. The winners will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday in the conference title game, vying for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. There is no admission charge for the three conference postseason contests. Plattsburgh is the first on-campus site for the semifinals and finals since the SUNYAC moved its tournament to the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta from 1999 to 2008.
For fans that cannot make it to the North Country, the Plattsburgh Sports Information Office will be providing play-by-play descriptions on its LiveStats feature during both days of competition. The link is http://www.sidearmstats.com/plattsburgh/msoc/
The host Cardinals (12-2-4 overall) climbed two spots to No. 20 in this week's national rankings by the NSCAA coaches' poll, released on Tuesday. They had their season debut in the Top 25 on Oct. 27 to extend a 17-year streak of appearing in that organization's poll at some point during the season. Twenty-five year head coach Chris Waterbury has steered the program to its 11th straight berth in the SUNYAC Tournament, securing a first-round bye and No. 1 seed by virtue of going 7-1-1 in conference play. Captain Chris Taylor leads the offense with 22 points on four goals and SUNYAC-leading 14 assists. The Cardinals own the SUNYAC's best scoring defense--at 0.44 goals per game--in nine conference-games only, led by Bart Misiak who was a 2008 third-team All-American as a sophomore, Mike Pinamonti, John LoGuirato and Gurtej Dhillon.
Second-place Brockport went 9-5-2 overall, including a 7-2 league mark. The Golden Eagles are making their 11th appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament. They are entering the postseason on a roll, having won seven of their last nine games to follow a five-game winless streak (0-3-2). Steve Abgarian paces Brockport in goals (11), assists (4), points (26) and shots (51). But the team boasts the SUNYAC's best defense, allowing the fewest goals (14) in all games this season. Brockport and Geneseo are tied in their all-time series at 25-25-6, but the Golden Eagles are searching for their first conference title since 1978.
The Blue Knights, with two SUNYAC crowns in 2004 and 2006 among 13 all-time tourney appearances, come in with a 9-6-2 record, including 5-3-1 in the league. Jason Tartick is the team' top scoring threat with five goals and 13 points, plus 41 shots. Colin Begy is the top playmaker with four assists among his 10 points. Mike Mooney joins the Cardinals' Waterbury as the SUNYAC's top-two coaches with 25 years' tenure.
Oneonta (12-4-2) tied Geneseo for third place in the SUNYAC standings with identical 5-3-1 conference ledgers, but was designated the fourth seed because the Red Dragons lost to the Blue Knights, 3-1, on their home field on Oct. 2. Oneonta has sandwiched five SUNYAC tournament berths around NCAA Division I scholarship classification from 1989 to 2007. The Red Dragons this season were known for their high-octane offense, racking up a SUNYAC-best 41 goals. Thank the 1-2 scoring punch of Evan Jedynak (11 goals, 28 points) and Eric Fortier (10, 26) for that. The defense also posted a league-high eight shutouts, but ranked tied for third in scoring defense at 1.00 goals per game. The Red Dragons are accustomed to quick starts, outscoring their opponents 17-3 in the first half and going 8-1 in their first nine contests.
Cortland, as the fourth seed, won the 2008 SUNYAC championship with a 2-0 victory over Brockport in Oneonta.
