Box Score NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team fell to visiting No. 4 SUNY Oneonta 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play.
The Hawks fall to 4-11-1, 0-6-1 SUNYAC and will wrap up the regular season next weekend, hosting Buffalo State and SUNY Fredonia on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25. The Red Dragons improve to 12-0-2, 6-0-1 SUNYAC and have 19 points, tied with SUNY Cortland, on top of the conference.
Oneonta struck in less than one minute of play as junior Greg Silvestro received a drop pass from junior Dylan Williams and ripped a shot from 20 yards out into the low right corner to put New Paltz in a 1-0 hole just 50 ticks into the action.
The Red Dragons added to the lead in the 12
th minute after senior Justin Rivera chipped a pass into the box and Williams buried a shot in the right side to go ahead 2-0. In the first half, Oneonta outshot New Paltz 10-2.
But in the second half, the Hawks came out with more tempo and energy and nearly got within one in the 60
th minute when junior forward
Jason Gonzalez (Woodside, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) ripped a shot that deflected off the post. Gonzalez finished the day with a team-high three shots.
Several possessions later, however, New Paltz scratched within one goal in the 68
th minute. Senior co-captain midfielder
Alec Johnson (Ballston Spa, N.Y/Ballston Spa) curled a corner kick into the middle of the box where classmate and defender
Michael Levko (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) was waiting and buried a header into the net for his first career marker, cutting into the Oneonta lead 2-1.
Unfortunately, any momentum shift that the Hawks earned was quickly erased as the Red Dragons scored on a counter in the 71
st minute to claim a 3-1 edge. Levko managed to fire off a shot in the 74
th minute but that was the last offensive opportunity for the Hawks as Oneonta earned the league win.
Senior goalkeeper
Steven Domino (Valatie, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) suffered the defeat but made nine saves. His counterpart, senior Vincent Pellegrino, was forced to make two saves in his sixth clean sheet of the season
