Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – It certainly wasn’t easy, and at times the collective mood at the Field House Complex was downright grim, but the Plattsburgh State men’s soccer team overcame a 2-1 second half deficit with three goals in the final 15 minutes of play to earn a 4-2 victory over SUNY Cortland in the first semifinal game of the 2012 SUNYAC Championship on Friday (Nov. 2).

Sophomore forward Nick Parrella scored a goal in each half, and Matt Hamilton netted his team-leading 10^th goal of the season off of a penalty kick at the 79:37 mark to give the Cardinals (17-2-1) a 3-2 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish en route to their third SUNYAC Championship game appearance in the past four seasons.

The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, Plattsburgh State came out looking to exact revenge against the Red Dragons who handed the Cardinals one of their two 2012 losses in a wild 4-3 overtime contest in Cortland on September 28.

Controlling tempo from the opening whistle, Plattsburgh State amassed four shots through the first eight minutes of the match before Parrella gave the Cardinals their first lead of the morning.

The Miller Place, N.Y., product redirected an initial shot on goal by Jason Baker, and that altered trajectory made all the difference as the ball soared over the head of Cortland (9-8-1) netminder Tim Beauvais, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead at the 13:21 mark.

Despite being outshot 11-2 in the opening frame, Cortland made one of those shots count for something. Chris Barbosa found his way past the Plattsburgh State defensive unit and ripped a screaming grounder that found its way under Andy Heighington to tie things at one in the 31^st minute of action. The goal was the third in the past two games for Barbosa.

Keen on maintaining their assault on the Cortland net, the Cardinals put three quality balls on net in the opening 12 minutes of the deciding stanza, but each one was corralled by Beauvais. At the 57:44 mark, the Red Dragons caught the Plattsburgh State defensive corps off-guard once again when Brian Merlos took a pass from Barbosa at the top the box and pumped in his second goal of the season, putting the Cardinals in a 2-1 hole.

For nearly 20 minutes, the Cardinals worked frantically to score the equalizer before Mike Payne performed his most crucial corner kick of the season thus far. The senior out of New Hartford, N.Y., sent a perfect ball toward the towering Steve Zaharczyk in the box who blasted a header past Beauvais, sending the Plattsburgh State bench into hysterics and knotting the match at two with his fifth marker of the season.

Just over four minutes later, Hamilton was dragged down in the box by a Cortland defender and earned the Cardinals’ fifth penalty kick try of the season. The junior didn’t squander his opportunity, easily out-guessing Beauvais and sending the ball to the far portion of the net for the pivotal go-ahead score.

Parrella put the game out of reach for good when he registered his eighth goal of the season, seeing his initial shot deflect off the post and into the far corner of the net for the final 4-2 tally.

The Cardinals held a 22-5 advantage in shots, and did not allow the Red Dragons to attempt a corner kick – outpacing them 5-0 in that department. Each team was cited for 17 fouls in the physical bout.

Oneonta 2, New Paltz 1

The Oneonta State men’s soccer team overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the New Paltz Hawks, 2-1, Friday afternoon at the Field House Soccer Complex. With the win, the Red Dragons secure their spot in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship game.
 
New Paltz (11-8-1, 4-5-0 SUNYAC) snagged an early lead in the 15^th minute when the Hawks’ leading scorer, Harrison Lane, tallied his 10^th of the year. Mateo Cordini made a nice play to get the ball to Lane, picking up the assist on the goal.
 
The Red Dragons bounced back at 29:40 when Colin Volpe’s cross found Luke Halberg in the box. Halberg ripped a shot that beat New Paltz goalkeeper Steven Domino, tying the game at 1-1.
 
The game remained knotted at 1-all until the 54:52 mark when Jake Sutherland’s unassisted goal gave Oneonta a 2-1 lead that would hold for the remainder of the game.
 
Shots were close as New Paltz finished the day with a slight 9-8 advantage. The Hawks also drew two corner kicks.
 
Domino made one save in the loss for New Paltz. Oneonta’s Daniel DeBottis turned away two shots, improving to 6-4-1 on the year.
 
The SUNYAC Champion will be crowned at the Field House Soccer Complex tomorrow as the top-seeded Cardinals will host Oneonta State in the finals. In their only meeting this season, Plattsburgh defeated Oneonta, 3-2, in double overtime.

General admission for the championship game is six dollars while SUNY students with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge.