LaMendola's 2OT Winner Lifts #9 Cortland to 1-0 Victory Over Delhi in NCAA First Round

Cortland Sports Information Department

CORTLAND, NY – Sam LaMendola (Buffalo/Williamsville South) netted the game-winning goal 1:01 into the second overtime to lift the nationally ninth-ranked Cortland men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Delhi in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday afternoon on Grady Field. Cortland improves to 13-1-5 and advances to face Catholic, who defeated Amherst 1-0 in the other first round matchup, tomorrow at 3 p.m. Delhi finishes the year at 12-4-5.
 
LaMendola's goal was his fifth of the season, second on the Red Dragons. Owen Brant (Loudonville/Shaker) and Shay Daly (Elwood/John Glenn) both provided assists for Cortland. Jordan Ott (Fort Worth, TX/Southwest Christian) recorded two saves for the shutout for Cortland. It was Ott's 13th shutout of the season, which breaks the program record for shutouts in a single season.
 
Salvator Meloni made seven saves in goal for the Broncos, while Aidan Gaughan and Michael Adeyeye each had a shot on goal for Delhi.
 
Cortland held a 31-8 edge in shot attempts, and an 8-2 lead in shots on goal.
 
The Red Dragons recorded the first shot on goal of the contest only two minutes into the game, as Brant had a shot saved by Meloni. Cortland had its best opportunity of the first half in the 16th minute, but Sebastian Olego (Bedford Corners/Byrum Hill) fired a header wide of the right post.
 
The Cortland defense held Delhi without a shot on target in the first half, but the game was still scoreless at halftime.
 
The Broncos had their first shot on target in the 53rd minute on a header by Adeyeye that Ott was able to collect relatively comfortably.
 
In the 61st minute, Cortland had two chances in quick succession, but a Delhi defender blocked an initial shot by Carroll and the follow-up attempt was saved by Meloni to keep the game without a goal.
 
Delhi had shouts for a potential penalty kick in the 83rd minute after a forward fell in the box, which the Broncos' coaching staff felt was a foul by a Cortland defender, but the referee waved off appeals for a spot kick.
 
Cortland had the final shot of regulation in the 87th minute, but Dylan Pederson's (Earlswood, England/Reigate) shot attempt went off to the right.
 
Neither team was able to register a shot on target in the first overtime period, and the game looked to be headed towards penalty kicks to decide an advancing team.
 
Early in the second overtime, Aidan Miller (Savanna, GA/Richmond Hill) made a solid play to keep the ball in play down the left sideline. Seconds later, the Red Dragons were able to net the winning goal. Brant made a pass down the right sideline to Daly, who fed a pass to LaMendola near the end line. LaMendola curled the ball from the right side off of the left post and into the right side of the goal to send Cortland through to the second round.