Oneonta Men's Soccer to Host Opening Rounds of NCAA Tournament this Weekend
Oneonta Sports Information Department
ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta men's soccer team was selected to host the opening weekend of the NCAA DIII Tournament after the Red Dragons secured their 12th SUNYAC Championship last weekend. Joining Oneonta in the City of the Hills this weekend are the New England Pilgrims, Tufts Jumbos, and University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons. In the First-Round matches on Saturday, Oneonta will take on New England at 11 am on Red Dragon Field with Tufts and UMass-Boston to follow at 1:30 pm. The winners of each match will square off on Sunday at 1 pm.
Ticket Pricing
Since this is an NCAA Tournament event, tickets are required by all fans. The prices for tickets are as follows: Adults: $6; Senior Citizens and Students (with valid ID): $3; Children ages 3-12: $2; Children under 3: Free.
About the Teams
SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons
13-2-3 Overall, 6-2-1 SUNYAC, SUNYAC Champions
Coach: Iain Byrne
After they defeated Plattsburgh State in the SUNYAC semifinals, Oneonta won 2-1 in penalty kicks against Brockport and punched their ticket into the NCAA Tournament. The Red Dragons closed out the regular season by winning their last five games. Oneonta's high-powered offense runs through Lucas Fecci (Somers, N.Y./Somers) who leads the team with 11 goals, Milton Mancias Magana (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) who leads with seven assists, and Joe Holder (Greenwood Lake, N.Y./Warwick) and Ethan Brunell (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) each recorded five goals.
Just the Stats: Games Played – 18, Goals Scored – 37 (2.06 avg), Goals Against – 15 (0.83 avg), Corner Kicks – 93 (5.17 avg), Saves Made – 63 (3.5 avg)
Players to Watch:
#7 – Lucas Fecci (Somers, N.Y./Somers): 11 goals, 4 game-winners, 4 assists, 26 points
#29 – Milton Mancias Magana (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck): 8 goals, 3 game-winners, 7 assists, 23 points
#9 – Ethan Brunell (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa): 5 goals, 4 assists, 14 points
#45 – Nate Hanna (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker): 0.83 GAA, .808 save percentage, 63 saves, 6 shutouts, 13-2-3 record
New England College Pilgrims
9-7-3 Overall, 4-1-1 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), NECC Champions
Coach: Pat Laughlin
The New England College Pilgrims earned their trip to the NCAA Tournament by winning the NECC Championship. After they won the semifinal match in penalty kicks, Pilgrims' Joaquin Sanchez-Korenfeld scored the lone goal in the 83rd minute of the NECC Championship. The Pilgrims primary keeper, Hayden Walker, missed five games in the middle of the season but since he returned, he has recorded five victories and five shutouts (including postseason). Eight different Pilgrims have multiple goals in the season with Sanchez-Korenfeld and Logan Cassin co-leading the team with seven.
Just the Stats: Games Played – 19, Goals Scored – 32 (1.68 avg), Goals Against – 21 (1.11 avg), Corner Kicks – 107 (5.63 avg), Saves Made – 117 (6.16 avg)
Players to Watch:
# 20 – Joaquin Sanchez-Korenfeld: 7 goals, 3 game-winners, 3 assists, 17 points
#11 – Logan Cassin: 7 goals, 3 game-winners, 14 points
#6 – William Scala 4 goals, 4 assists, 12 points
#31 – Hayden Walker: 0.61 GAA, .896 save percentage, 117 saves, 7 shutouts, 7-2-2 record
Tufts University Jumbos
7-2-7 Overall, 3-2-5 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), NESCAC At-Large Bid
Coach: Kyle Dezotell
The Tufts Jumbos received an at-large bid into the tournament. In a tough conference, Tufts was bumped out in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament after Williams College edged them out in penalty kicks, 4-3. The Jumbos have a deep roster, as 16 different players have recorded a goal, with Ian Daly leading with five. Tufts closed out the regular season with five straight shutouts with Erik Lauta manning the net.
Just the Stats: Games Played – 16, Goals Scored – 31 (1.94 avg), Goals Against – 10 (0.63 avg), Corner Kicks 114 (7.13 avg), Saves Made – 56 (3.5 avg)
Players to Watch:
#3 – Ian Daly: 5 goals, 2 game-winners, 2 assists, 12 points
#11 – Sean Traynor: 3 goals, 6 points
#16 – Taylor Feinberg: 3 goals, 6 points
#1 – Erik Lauta: 0.62 GAA, .841 save percentage, 53 saves, 7 shutouts, 6-2-7 record
University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons
10-5-4 Overall, 6-2 Little East Conference (LEC), LEC Champions
Coach: Jake Beverlin
In UMass Boston's LEC semifinal match, Josh DeAlmeida scored two goals in the overtime periods and advanced the Beacons to the championship. With 110 minutes without a score, UMass Boston punched their ticket into the NCAA tournament after they won 4-2 in penalty kicks in the LEC Championship. The Beacons have eight players with multiple goals, and are led by DeAlmeida, Ryan Lima, and Nick Braganca.
Just the Stats: Games Played – 19, Goals Scored – 34 (1.79 avg), Goals Against – 21 (1.11 avg), Corner Kicks – 97 (5.1 avg), Saves Made – 105 (5.53 avg)
Players to Watch:
#23 – Josh DeAlmeida: 9 goals, 3 game-winners, 1 assist, 19 points
#8 – Ryan Lima: 5 goals, 2 game-winners, 2 assists, 12 points
#9 – Nick Braganca: 5 goals, 1 assist, 11 points
#99 – Qasim El-Ashkar: 1.12 GAA, .825 save percentage, 94 saves, 5 shutouts, 9-5-4 record
