BUFFALO — Senior forward Melissa Smith (N. Tonawanda/Niagara Wheatfield) was captain clutch again as she scored her seventh game-winning goal of the season in the first half to help Buffalo State to a 2-0 SUNYAC win over New Paltz this afternoon at Coyer Field.
Buffalo State came out of the gate fast, controlling play for much of the first half. The Bengals got on the board first, 20 minutes into the game as Jada Sargeant (Camillus/Marcellus) made a great sliding tackle to knock the ball from a New Paltz player to Catherine Mammoser (Lackawanna/Eden) on the near wing. Mammoser sent a cross into the box that found Smith, as she corralled the pass off the bounce and sent the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0, Bengal lead. Just eight minutes later, Buffalo State struck again as the Bengals got a steal off a New Paltz set piece and quickly set the ball the other way up the field. Tianna Hatch (Endicott/Elmira Free Acad.) was on the receiving end of a breakaway pass, made a long run and hammered it home to make it 2-0, Buffalo State. Buffalo State outshot New Paltz 10-0 as the teams went into the half.
It was all Buffalo State in the second half as well. The Bengals dropped back into a prevent defense and held the Hawks to just one shot for the rest of the game to seal the victory.
Buffalo State earned the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the SUNYAC playoffs, and will face the winner of #4 Plattsburgh and #5 Oswego in the SUNYAC semifinals on Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. at Coyer Field.
from BuffaloStateAthletics.com via IFTTT
