PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Fourth-seeded Plattsburgh State plays No. 5 seed Buffalo State in the quarterfinal round in this year's State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men's soccer tournament. The Cardinals and Bengals are set to square off Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. at the Field House Complex.
Saturday's matchup pits Plattsburgh State (12-5-1, 6-3 SUNYAC) and Buffalo State (9-8-1, 4-5 SUNYAC) against one another for the second time this season. In the Oct. 18 home game, the Cardinals prevailed 3-2 in overtime off a highlight-reel bicycle kick from sophomore midfielder Fabian Chaparro.
The six-team tournament begins this weekend with Potsdam visiting Brockport in the other quarterfinal matchup. Top seeds Oneonta and Cortland earned byes to the semifinal round. The championship game is set for Saturday, Nov. 9.
SUNY students possessing a valid ID will gain free admittance to the games. Any fans that are unable to make it to Plattsburgh can follow the action thanks to live stats coverage and live video of each game, courtesy of the Plattsburgh State Sports Information Office and Northeast Sports Network. The links for the live stats and live video can be found below.
Live Stats
Live Video
No. 4 PLATTSBURGH STATE
For the third time in four seasons, the Cardinals enter postseason play as the fourth seed. Plattsburgh State won those previous two games, including a championship game berth in 2010. This season, the Cardinals have been carried by a mix of young and veteran players.
Freshman Alexis Archilla leads the team with seven goals and 17 points. Teammate Matt Hamilton complements Archilla for the Cardinals' offensive threats. Hamilton is playing in his fourth postseason and is one of just three remaining players from the 2010 championship squad. The senior midfielder has six goals with four assists and leads the conference with four game-winning goals. Senior Tom Greene and junior Nick Parrella have both recorded double digits in points this season, as well.
As a team, the Cardinals average 2.1 goals per game while limiting opponents to 0.94 goals per game. Plattsburgh State strikes early, too, scoring 21 first-half goals.
No. 5 BUFFALO STATE
The Bengals return to the postseason for the first time since 2007. Under new head coach Mark Howlett, Buffalo State defeated conference foes Oswego, Cortland, Potsdam and New Paltz this season. In their last two games, the Bengals have outscored their opponents 8-0, including a 5-0 victory against Nazareth to end the regular season.
Buffalo State boasts two players who are double digits in points. Senior midfielder C.J. Scirto has seven goals with eight assists. Scirto is coming off a two-goal performance against Nazareth. Joining Scirto in the scoring column is junior Dylan Ross. Ross has started 10 games while tallying five goals and five assists. Andrew Dugan, Keegan Lezama and Francesco Cardillo all have four goals apiece.
As a team, Buffalo State averages 1.8 goals per game with 14.8 shots.
