PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's soccer team defeated the Oneonta Red Dragons 2-0 in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) match on Wednesday afternoon, clinching themselves a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament that begins next weekend. The team got goals from their top two scorers as Avery Durgan (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) and Nora Fitzgerald (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) each registered goals in the win.

Durgan scored the game-winner and the first goal of the game in the ninth minute, giving the Cards an early lead in an important matchup for the team. Fitzgerald added to the lead in the 62nd minute, helping to put the finishing touches on a SUNYAC Tournament berth. Ella Santomassimo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) notched her second assist of the year in the win, and Lauren Haley (LaGrange, N.Y./Arlington) picked up her sixth shutout of the year while making four saves. With the win, she improved to 5-3-5 for the 2023 campaign.

Plattsburgh moves to 5-4-5 (3-1-4 SUNYAC) and now sits in a three-way for the third-place spot in the conference standings. The Cards will look to grab a win over Geneseo on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m., potentially setting them up to host a first-round or second-round game in the conference playoffs. With the loss, Oneonta falls to 5-53 (2-5-1 SUNYAC) and is eliminated from postseason contention. They next play Buffalo State on Saturday, Oct. 21.

The Cardinals asserted themselves early in the game action on Wednesday afternoon, taking two shots within the first two minutes of game action. After two saves from Haley, the Cards slowly worked up the field, making passes to open players, eventually finding Santomassimo, who found Durgan on the right-hand side of the box wide open. From there, Durgan worked closer to the net and was able to draw the goalie to her side of the field, allowing her to hit the far corner of the net for an easy score. With the goal, Durgan moved up to 13 points on the season, a career-high, as she has four goals and five assists on the season.

As the half continued, it was clear that the Cards were the superior team on Wednesday afternoon, controlling possession throughout and outshooting the Red Dragons 9-3. Plattsburgh State held on to the 1-0 lead heading into the break, sitting 45 minutes away from clinching a playoff berth.

In the second half, Oneonta made a strong effort to get back into the game, putting up a shot within the first three minutes, but Plattsburgh's offense did not relent. Eventually, the offensive pressure culminated in a fantastic score from Fitzgerald, as the senior attacker worked around multiple defenders, taking the ball from just in front of midfield to just outside the six for an uncontested goal. With the score, Fitzgerald continued to raise her career-high goal total, with a team-leading sixth score of the season. She also leads the team with 15 total points on the year.

With the 2-0 lead, the Cardinals were able to play the rest of the game on cruise control, leaning on their defensive group and Haley to shut out the Red Dragon offense and earn the team their ninth straight playoff berth.

Bryanna Meehan took the loss in net for Oneonta, making six saves, while Keira Dashnow led the team with three shots and two shots on goal.