Red Dragons Down Kean, 3-1; Face Amherst in NCAA Third Round

Cortland Sports Information Department

CORTLAND, N.Y. – Three different players scored goals as the nationally fifth-ranked Cortland men's soccer team defeated Kean University, 3-1, Sunday evening in cold and snowy conditions in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Div. III Men's Soccer Tournament at Holloway Field. The Red Dragons improved to 18-2-1 on the season and will face Amherst College (Mass.) in the third round next weekend. The Cougars ended their season at 13-5-3.

Graduate student Blake Aronson (Huntington Station/Walt Whitman), senior Anthony Ruggiero (Holtsville/Sachem East) and sophomore Jack Coleman (Endwell/Maine-Endwell) each netted a goal for Cortland. Graduate students Scott Cebollero (Commack) and Nicholas Pfeiffer (Commack) and sophomore Jason Lee (Middle Village/Xavier) collected one assist apiece. Junior goalie Braden Melveney (Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) made four saves.

Sophomore Santi Alzate (Perth Amboy, NJ/Urban Leadership) scored Kean's goal off an assist from junior Felix Pereyra (New Brunswick, NJ). Freshman goalie Dominic Ridge (Plainfield, NJ/Arts and Advanced Studies) registered seven saves.

Coleman gave the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead in the third minute with his eighth goal of the season, taking a long pass from Cebollero and lofting a shot into the far corner from the left side. Aronson made it a 2-0 game with his Div. III leading 10th game-winning and team-best 15th overall goal in the 24th minute on a header from the middle of the box off a serve from Lee. Alzate pulled the Cougars to within 2-1 in the 36th minute, driving a knuckling shot from the top of the box that eluded Melveney's outstretched hand and found the upper right corner.

The game began with light precipitation but as it progressed the snow grew in intensity and affected the playing service. Cortland's third goal resulted in the slick service being a factor. Pfeiffer played a long pass from the Red Dragons' defensive third, and Ridge charged off his line and outside the box to make a play on the ball. The pass skipped by him and Ruggiero ran unmarked onto the ball and deposited a shot in the open goal in the 62nd minute for his 11th goal of the season.

In the final 29 minutes, the snow intensified as did the physical play. A Kean player was sent off with a red card in the 82 minute after a second booking forcing the Cougars to attempt a comeback down a player. The Red Dragons controlled much of the play in the closing minutes to seal the 3-1 victory and a trip to the third round.

Cortland 3, Kean 1

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Kean: Santi Alzate 1-0, Felix Pereyra 0-1
Cortland: Jack Coleman 1-0, Blake Aronson 1-0, Anthony Ruggiero 1-0, Scott Cebollero 0-1, Jason Lee 0-1, Nicholas Pfeiffer 0-1

Halftime: Cortland 2, Kean 1
Shots: Cortland 19, Kean 12
Corner Kicks: Kean 3, Cortland 2
Fouls: Kean 21, Cortland 7
Saves: Dominic Ridge (Kean) 7 saves (3 GA in 90:00); Braden Melveney (Cortland) 4 saves (1 GA in 90:00)

Record after game: Kean (Cougars) 13-5-3; Cortland (Red Dragons) 18-2-1 (ranked 5th nationally in Div. III)