2024 SUNYAC Men's Soccer Tournament First Round

Fifth-seeded New Paltz (9-7-1, 5-3-1) at Fourth-seeded & No. 25 Plattsburgh (11-2-4, 6-2-1)

Saturday, November 2, 2024 • 1 p.m. • Plattsburgh, N.Y. • Field House Complex Turf

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PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The fourth-seeded and No. 25 ranked Plattsburgh State men's soccer team is set to host fifth-seeded New Paltz in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament First Round match at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 2 at the Field House Complex Turf. The Cardinals are looking to begin their journey for their ninth SUNYAC title in program history and first since 2013.

TICKET PRICING: General admission tickets are $5, while tickets for children ages 5-12 are $3. Children ages four and under and students from SUNYAC schools with valid identification will be admitted free of charge.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES: Plattsburgh State is 37-13-4 versus New Paltz all-time, having won two of the last three meetings, with a 1-1 tie sandwiched in between. The Cardinals' last playoff win came against the Hawks in a 3-2 first round win in 2022, while Plattsburgh also defeated New Paltz this season 1-0.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State played to an 11-2-4 (6-2-1 SUNYAC) record this season, finishing 6-0-1 at home this year. The Cardinals clinched a playoff berth with their win over the Oswego State Lakers back on Oct. 19 and then won both of their games last week to clinch the fourth seed and first round home playoff game. 

The National Power Index (NPI) from the NCAA currently has the Cardinals at 38^th nationally, as well as third in Region III behind Cortland (31^st) and Buffalo State (27^th). In the latest United Soccer Coaches (USC), Plattsburgh State was ranked No. 25, along with two other SUNYAC teams in Cortland (18^th) and Buffalo State (17^th).
 
The Cardinal offense runs through senior midfielder John Hayes (Pearl River, NY/Pearl River), who has produced his best season in what will be his final one in Plattsburgh. His 14 goals and 30 points lead the Cardinals and ranked third and fifth in the SUNYAC, respectively. Sophomore Xavier Kamba (Valley Cottage, N.Y./Nyack) ranks second on the team in each major offensive category, as he has five goals, four assists, and 14 points. Despite playing his second season at center back, two-time All-SUNYAC selection senior Brian Coughlan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) is still an offensive threat, as he has four goals and three assists this season, with three of his four goals being game winners.

Plattsburgh's offense is extremely deep and features talented forwards and midfielders that include senior Modou Badjie (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston), sophomore Tristan Laundree (Keeseville, N.Y./AuSable Valley), and junior Santiago Vargas (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) among others. Badjie and Laundree each have three goals and two assists on the season, while Vargas leads the team with five assists.
 
The Cardinal defense is led by the efforts of senior goalkeeper Teddy Healy (Amityville, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) who is enjoying a career season in 2024.  His 12 goals against and his .80 goals-against average are each atop the SUNYAC while he has also added six shutouts to go with his 11-2-3 record. His efforts are made even easier by a strong back line, led by Coughlan with juniors Randall Ashong (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) and Tony Kochelev (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) as well as first-year Jack Murphy (Blauvelt, N.Y./Tappan Zee) who has one goal and three assists to go along with 1,464 minutes played that is second to only Coughlan.

In his seventh season at the helm, head coach Chris Taylor is making his fourth SUNYAC playoff appearance, where he has been to the semifinals in his last two playoff runs. In 2019, the team earned the second seed and advanced to the championship game, falling to Oneonta. In the team's last playoff run as the sixth seed in 2022, Taylor led his squad to a first round win at New Paltz before falling on the road to Oneonta.

ABOUT THE HAWKS: New Paltz (9-7-1, 5-3-1) will travel to Plattsburgh for the second time this year, after already losing to the Cardinals on Oct. 16^th, 1-0. The team has rode a strong defense all season, as they have allowed just .88 goals per game while averaging 1.29.

Only five New Paltz players have multiple goals this year, led by Brandon Dhanoolal, who has seven scores this year to lead the team in goals and points. Bryan Lizama is second on the team with five goals and 10 points, while Brian Bouylan is tops on the team with four assists. Alex Wyant and Ryan Zindler each have three goals this year for the Hawks, while Tim Kane (two goals), Kieran Weber (one goal), and Owen McGarrity (one goal) round out the players who have found the back of the net for New Paltz this year.

Defensively, the Hawks boast a strong backline that is made even stronger by two-time All-SUNYAC selection, senior goalkeeper Christian Micheli. On the year, he has allowed just 15 goals for a .92 GAA, while making 60 saves and recording five shutouts. McGarrity leads the New Paltz defensive line, with a team-high 1,517 minutes played, and is joined by Samuel Snider, Alberto Molina, and Ryan Bocheznski who all rank in the top five of minutes played for New Paltz this year.

Head coach Kyle Clancy is making his sixth SUNYAC tournament appearance in 2024, and his fourth in a row with the Hawks. However, in five appearances, Clancy has yet to win a playoff game, with losses in four quarterfinal games and one semifinal game.

WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of the Plattsburgh State and New Paltz game will head to the top-seeded Buffalo State Bengals. The Bengals are currently the top ranked team in the region by NPI and are ranked 17^th in the USC National Poll.

The other side of the bracket will see the winner of third-seeded Cortland versus sixth-seeded Oswego State head to second-seeded Oneonta.