Buffalo State men’s soccer rallies past Plattsburgh, secures playoff berth

BUFFALO STATE ATHLETICS

BUFFALO, N.Y. —  Robert Williamson (Fishkill/John Jay) scored the game-winning goal as Buffalo State rallied for a 2-1 victory over visiting Plattsburgh today at Coyer Field, securing a SUNYAC playoff berth for the fourth-consecutive season.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE:  Buffalo State – 2, Plattsburgh – 1
LOCATION: Coyer Field – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS: Buffalo State (9-4-2/4-3-1), Plattsburgh (6-7-3/3-4-1)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Buffalo State had the wind in the first half and outshot the Cardinals 9-3, but could not break through on the scoreboard.
• Plattsburgh was assessed a red card in the 39^th minute and was forced to play a man down the rest of the way, but that did not prevent it from connecting on a through ball that was sent inside the far left post to take the lead just 18 seconds into the second half.
• Buffalo State responded in the 51^st minute with a header by Pencic for his team-best eighth goal of the season off a long play into the box by Colin O’Keefe (Buffalo/Canisius).
• Williamson then put the Bengals ahead on a low free kick inside the right post from 20 yards out for his fourth goal of the year.
• Buffalo State limited the undermanned Cardinals for most of the remainder of the game, but Dylan Guarino (Tonawanda/Kenmore East) preserved the win with a diving save on a 30-yard free kick with just 30 seconds remaining in the contest.
• Guarino, who played the final 22 minutes for an injured Andreas Queen (Stone Ridge/Rondout Valley) finished with two saves, while Queen made three.
• Buffalo State finished with a 19-13 edge in shot attempts.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Alex Price scored for Plattsburgh with an assist from Jimmy Marchena.

 
NOTEWORTHY

• Buffalo State has guaranteed a spot in the SUNYAC quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 27.  If the Bengals win and New Paltz loses to Oneonta tomorrow, Buffalo State will host the first-round contest.

 
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will conclude the SUNYAC regular season slate at home tomorrow against Potsdam at 1 p.m.

---

All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.