CORTLAND, NY – The nationally ninth-ranked Cortland men's soccer team played to a scoreless tie against Oneonta on Wednesday evening on Holloway Field in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play. Cortland is now 6-1-3 (1-0-1 SUNYAC), while Oneonta is 6-2-2 (1-0-1 SUNYAC).
Cortland recorded its sixth consecutive shutout, and has only allowed three goals in 10 contests. Three different players record a shot on target for Cortland, including
Bruno Baez (White Plains/Iona Prep),
Alberto Reyes (New Canaan, CT), and
Owen Brant (Loudonville/Shaker).
Jordan Ott (Fort Worth, TX/Southwest Christian) made six saves in goal.
Oneonta was led by Milton Mancias Magana, who recorded four shots on goal. James Cintron made three saves in goal for the shutout. Zach Tanner and Joe Holder each had one shot on goal.
Oneonta had a pair of shots on goal in the opening nine minutes of the contest.
Christian Napolitano (Massapequa) sent a header just left of the post off a corner kick for one of Cortland's best early opportunities in the 10th minute.
Reyes forced Cintron into making his first save of the game in the 25th minute, and Ott made a save on a shot by Mancias Magana less than a minute later. Neither team registered a shot on target in the final 15 minutes of the half to go into halftime scoreless.
Cortland had a great opportunity to break the deadlock in the 50th minute. Baez dribbled around an Oneonta defender down the left sideline, and dropped a pass back to
Jake Hutter (Smithtown/Smithtown West) just outside the 18-yard area. Hutter delivered a cross into the box to
Josh Carroll (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue), who headed the ball just wide of the right post.
In the 52nd minute,
Chimelu Blandin (Jacksonville, FL/Sandalwood) had a strong defensive recovery to block a shot by Oneonta's Zach Tanner, and Ott made a diving save to his left to stop another shot by Mancias Magana under a minute later.
In the 68th and 72nd minutes, Ott came up with a pair of clutch saves, one with a dive to deny Mancias Magana and another by jumping to deny Tanner.
Oneonta went down a man in the 79th minute after a second yellow card, and Cortland looked to take advantage of the extra player over the final ten minutes. Baez's shot in the 88th minute for Cortland from the left side of the 18-yard area forced a save from Cintron, and another shot from Baez in the final seconds flashed wide right of the goal, as Cortland could not find a game winner.
