Box Score

CORTLAND, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team (2-5-2, 1-1-0 SUNYAC) suffered its first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) loss of the season on Saturday, falling by a 6-1 final against SUNY Cortland (4-5-0, 1-1-0 SUNYAC).

The Red Dragons turned to Bryan Merlos for offensive production in the first 10 minutes of play, as he scored twice. Merlos' first goal, which came in the third minute, was set up by Daniel Friend, and he doubled the lead with a header goal at 7:54. Friend and Ian Cusack were each credited with assists on the score.

Cortland continued to pour on offense in the first half, as Darren McCormack scored unassisted at 20:08 before Tyler Marsh headed in a goal at 31:59. On Marsh's marker, both Chris Barbosa and Matt Williams earned assists. The Red Dragons entered halftime with a 4-0 lead.

Following a New Paltz red card in the first minute of the second half, McCormack cashed in on a 26-yard bending free kick, and that pushed the tally to 5-0 in favor of Cortland. The Hawks erased the Red Dragons' shutout bid in the 79th minute, with sophomore forward Dondre Irving (Elmont, N.Y./Valley Stream North) scoring off an assist by sophomore midfielder Jake Falk (Jericho, N.Y./Jericho). At 83:27, the Red Dragons scored their final goal of the contest, as Devrim Kucuk found the feet of Dillon Johnson.

Cortland held a 21-15 edge in shots, while each team finished with two corner kicks.

Tim Beauvais collected the win for Cortland, making five stops in goal, while junior goalkeepers Steven Domino (Valatie, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) and Andres Montoya (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) split time in net for New Paltz. Domino made five saves in the first half before handing the reins off to Montoya at halftime. Montoya corralled two saves during his 45-minute stint in net.

New Paltz returns to Alumni Field on Friday, Oct. 4, as it hosts The College at Brockport in a 4 p.m. SUNYAC contest.