New Paltz Women's Soccer Downs Fredonia, 1-0, in SUNYAC Semis; Makes First-Ever Conference Final
KINGSTON, N.Y. – A goal by junior forward Samantha Abravanel (Islip, N.Y./Islip) in the 66th minute propelled the State University of New York at New Paltz women’s soccer team (12-5-2) to a 1-0 victory over SUNY Fredonia (12-8-0) in the semifinal round of the 2011 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Dietz Stadium in Kingston, N.Y.
New Paltz holds the tournament’s No. 2 seed, while Fredonia held the tournament’s No. 3 seed.
Top-seeded SUNY Cortland drew, 0-0, with fourth-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the other semifinal game Wednesday in Cortland, N.Y., but Cortland advanced on penalty kicks, 3-2. The Hawks take on the Red Dragons on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. with the SUNYAC title and an automatic berth into the 2011 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament on the line in the conference tournament's final.
The victory, which was the Hawks’ first in seven tries at the SUNYAC Tournament, assured the program its highest-ever single-season win total (12), eclipsing the former mark of 11 that was set during the 1999 season. Junior goalkeeper Stephanie Vega (Oceanside, N.Y./Baldwin Senior) also extended her single-season program record in shutouts, as she posted her 11th of the year.
New Paltz controlled the tempo of the game throughout the first half, earning numerous chances in the Blue Devils’ offensive third. In spite of their crisp passing, however, the Hawks were outshot, 4-3, in the first frame. Fredonia captured the momentum in the beginning of the second period, but the New Paltz back line and midfield started to push the ball out of its defensive third and kept play both in the middle of the field and in Fredonia’s attacking third.
Midway through the second half, Abravanel headed a ball in the box that was turned aside by Fredonia’s goalkeeper, Meaghan Meszaros, and after collecting the rebound on her own shot, she put the ball in the back of the net to put the Hawks up, 1-0. From that point forward, the Blue Devils uncorked just two shots, and New Paltz held on to advance for the first time in the history of the tournament.
New Paltz outshot Fredonia, 15-10, and held a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Both teams played cleanly, as no cards were issued, and both sides combined for just 13 fouls.
Vega kept a clean sheet and did not face a single shot on goal, earning her 12th victory of the season. Meszaros made eight stops in the losing effort for Fredonia, conceding the lone score of the game.
