BUFFALO — For the second-straight season, Buffalo State women’s soccer is hosting the SUNYAC final.
The No. 1 seeded Bengals (16-1-2) will take on the No. 2 Geneseo Knights (9-2-5) in the SUNYAC Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Coyer Field.
Buffalo State set the school record for wins in a season with its 2-0 victory over Plattsburgh in the tournament’s semifinal on Wednesday.
The Bengals have been led on offense all season by the goal-scoring duo of Melissa Smith (N. Tonawanda/Niagara-Wheatfield) and Tianna Hatch (Endicott/Elmira Free Academy), who each tallied goals in the semifinal win.
Smith leads the SUNYAC in scoring with 14 goals and 35 points. With her goal Wednesday, Smith moved into fifth all-time in program history in career points. Her seven game-winning goals scored this season are tied for fifth-most in the NCAA.
Hatch sits fifth in the conference with eight goals scored.
Goalkeeper Taylor Carillo (Pine Bush/Pine Bush) added another shutout to her record-breaking season, making three saves in Wednesday’s win. Carillo now has 12 shutouts on the season, a school single-season record.
Geneseo earned a trip to Buffalo after knocking off Oneonta 3-0 in Wednesday’s other semifinal match.
Erin O’Connor and Emily Green paced the Knights in scoring this season with 12 and 11 points respectively. Keeper Emily Janiszewski leads the SUNYAC in goals against average (0.30), and save percentage (.921).
Smith’s 54th minute goal was the difference in the Bengals 1-0 win over the Knights earlier this year. Buffalo State has defeated Geneseo in each of its past two meetings.
Tickets for Saturday’s SUNYAC Final will be available at the gate – $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children and FREE for all SUNYAC students with their school ID. For those fans unable to attend, you can watch Saturday’s SUNYAC Final live on buffalostateathletics.com.
from BuffaloStateAthletics.com via IFTTT