CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland and Plattsburgh women's soccer teams played to a 1-1 draw Wednesday afternoon in SUNYAC action at Holloway Field. The Red Dragons' record now stands at 7-2-4 overall and 3-0-3 in the conference. The Cardinals are 4-4-4 and 2-1-3.
Senior
Kayla Valerioti (Oakdale/Connetquot) scored her team-high sixth goal of the season for Cortland. Junior goalie
Kristen Spendal (Dumont, NJ) registered four saves.
Senior Nora Fitzgerald (New Rochelle) tallied her team-high fifth goal of the season for Plattsburgh. Senior Avery Durgan (Plattsburgh/Beekmantown) assisted on the score. Junior goalie Lauren Haley (LaGrange/Arlington) turned aside six shots.
Cortland created the first scoring chance in the game, but senior
Simone Neivel's (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) 20-yard shot caromed off the crossbar in the 14th minute. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute. Durgan carried deep into the box on the right side and slipped a pass across from the end line that Fitzgerald one-touched past Spendal.
The Red Dragons forced action throughout the opening half, earning nine corner kicks. The eighth one produced the game-tying goal when Valerioti bent the serve directly into the goal in the 37th minute.
Cortland controlled most of the play in the second half, outshooting Plattsburgh, 15-4, over the 45 minutes but couldn't notch the game winner. Freshman
Tyla Vuotto (Lynbrook) had an open attempt in front denied by a Plattsburgh defender in the 47th minute, and senior
Liz Allen's (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) partial breakaway in the 73rd minute was stopped when Haley charged off her line.
The Red Dragons pressured in the closing minutes, earning three corner kicks and four shots in the final 10 minutes, including a second chance by Valerioti on a direct shot off a corner in the 81st minute that Haley punched away to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Cortland 1, Plattsburgh 1
Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Plattsburgh: Nora Fitzgerald 1-0, Avery Durgan 0-1
Cortland:
Kayla Valerioti 1-0
Halftime: Cortland 1, Plattsburgh 1
Shots: Cortland 25, Plattsburgh 9
Corner Kicks: Cortland 13, Plattsburgh 2
Fouls: Plattsburgh 5, Cortland 3
Saves: Lauren Haley (Plattsburgh) 6 saves (1 GA in 90:00) 1 Team save;
Kristen Spendal (Cortland) 4 saves (1 GA in 90:00)
Record after game: Plattsburgh (Cardinals) 4-4-4, 2-1-3 SUNYAC; Cortland (Red Dragons) 7-2-4, 3-0-3 SUNYAC
