November 14, 2015
Oneonta Men's soccer cruises into second round of NCAA
Senior Jared Van Brunt (Sayville/Sayville) scored in the fourth minute to get SUNY Oneonta rolling, as they routed visiting CCNY in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Red Dragon Field. Oneonta (16-3-1) controlled the match from the opening whistle with its relentless attack in the Beavers' end of the field. The Red Dragons have now won its seventh straight contest including its sixth straight shutout win.
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"I feel our tournament experience was the key today," said Head Coach Iain Byrne. "We wanted to start fast and the early goal settled us down and allowed us to control the game. CCNY is a classy group and they fought right to the end."
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Five of today's goals came via the header, as Oneonta made the most of its restarts and corner kicks. The first four goals that the Red Dragons put on the scoreboard were finished off with headers.
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"It was great to start off the tournament this way," said senior captain Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury). "Tomorrow will be a different day and we will be looking to bring the same intensity."
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Leading 1-0 after Van Brunt's goal, which came off a service from senior Greg Silvestro (West Sayville/Connetquot), Oneonta ripped off three goals over a five-minute span midway through the opening half.
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The second goal came off a corner kick where Silvestro served a ball that came off a defender's head where senior Sean Vinberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) finished the play off with a header.
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Senior Hans Purtell (Johnson City/Johnson City) assisted on the next two goals on two great crossing passes into the 6-yard box. The first crossing pass was finished off by senior Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) who was able to redirect the ball past the keeper and then Van Brunt scored a second goal on another redirect.
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"The boys came out ready to play today and, as a result, we were able to get ahead early," said Van Brunt. "It was a great effort by CCNY and now it's on to our next opponent."
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Senior Zef Saljanin (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) added the final goal of the first half in the 42nd minute. He received a thru ball from freshman Alejandro Ruiz (Brentwood/Brentwood) as he slipped behind the defense. Saljanin finished the play by sliding a shot to the far right post.
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CCNY's most dangerous scoring opportunity came in the first half on a corner kick. The ball was served in by Lanfia Diaby that made it to the front of the goal. Vincent Pellegrino (Baldwin/Baldwin) leapt to catch the cross and fell to the ground causing a loose ball at the post. Mastafa Haridi was on the ground and took a shot at the ball, but it trickled wide of the post.
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"We hoped to be able to play our game, but unfortunately we couldn't adjust to the strong play of Oneonta," said assistant coach Anthony Cornacchia. "Oneonta is a strong team and we wish them the best of luck going forward."
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The Red Dragons added two more goals in the second half for the final margin of victory. Junior Alex Wilson (Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) notched his first goal of the season in the 62nd minute of a corner kick. Saljanin scored again in the 74th minute unassisted.
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Oneonta will face Rutgers-Camden tomorrow at 1pm for a berth in the sweet-16. Rutgers defeated Eastern 2-1 in double overtime.
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"I feel our tournament experience was the key today," said Head Coach Iain Byrne. "We wanted to start fast and the early goal settled us down and allowed us to control the game. CCNY is a classy group and they fought right to the end."
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Five of today's goals came via the header, as Oneonta made the most of its restarts and corner kicks. The first four goals that the Red Dragons put on the scoreboard were finished off with headers.
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"It was great to start off the tournament this way," said senior captain Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury). "Tomorrow will be a different day and we will be looking to bring the same intensity."
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Leading 1-0 after Van Brunt's goal, which came off a service from senior Greg Silvestro (West Sayville/Connetquot), Oneonta ripped off three goals over a five-minute span midway through the opening half.
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The second goal came off a corner kick where Silvestro served a ball that came off a defender's head where senior Sean Vinberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) finished the play off with a header.
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Senior Hans Purtell (Johnson City/Johnson City) assisted on the next two goals on two great crossing passes into the 6-yard box. The first crossing pass was finished off by senior Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) who was able to redirect the ball past the keeper and then Van Brunt scored a second goal on another redirect.
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"The boys came out ready to play today and, as a result, we were able to get ahead early," said Van Brunt. "It was a great effort by CCNY and now it's on to our next opponent."
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Senior Zef Saljanin (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) added the final goal of the first half in the 42nd minute. He received a thru ball from freshman Alejandro Ruiz (Brentwood/Brentwood) as he slipped behind the defense. Saljanin finished the play by sliding a shot to the far right post.
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CCNY's most dangerous scoring opportunity came in the first half on a corner kick. The ball was served in by Lanfia Diaby that made it to the front of the goal. Vincent Pellegrino (Baldwin/Baldwin) leapt to catch the cross and fell to the ground causing a loose ball at the post. Mastafa Haridi was on the ground and took a shot at the ball, but it trickled wide of the post.
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"We hoped to be able to play our game, but unfortunately we couldn't adjust to the strong play of Oneonta," said assistant coach Anthony Cornacchia. "Oneonta is a strong team and we wish them the best of luck going forward."
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The Red Dragons added two more goals in the second half for the final margin of victory. Junior Alex Wilson (Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) notched his first goal of the season in the 62nd minute of a corner kick. Saljanin scored again in the 74th minute unassisted.
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Oneonta will face Rutgers-Camden tomorrow at 1pm for a berth in the sweet-16. Rutgers defeated Eastern 2-1 in double overtime.
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