CORTLAND, NY – Katie Diem (Fairport) scored the lone goal of the game in the 13th minute from the penalty spot, and the Red Dragon defense posted its fifth consecutive shutout, as the Cortland women's soccer team earned a 1-0 victory over Plattsburgh on Holloway Field on Saturday afternoon in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play. Cortland is now 5-2-3 (1-0-1 SUNYAC), while Plattsburgh is 5-6-0 (2-1-0 SUNYAC).
 
Diem's goal was her first of the season, and came on her first shot on goal of three in the contest. Tyla Vuotto (Lynbrook) registered two shots on goal, and Gianna Cirilla (Pattersonville/Schalmont) had one shot on target. Olivia Rouse (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) made four saves in goal for the shutout, and the Red Dragons have not conceded a goal in the past 473:11.
 
Desiree DuBois made five saves in goal for the Cardinals, while four different players recorded a shot on target for Plattsburgh.
 
Plattsburgh had the first chance of the game only 19 seconds into the contest after a poor pass from the Red Dragon defense, shot Rouse was able to make a diving save to her right to deny Plattsburgh's Alana Delacruz.
 
Rouse was also tested on a shot by Sydney Myers in the ninth minute, but the senior comfortably handled the chance to stop the Cardinals' opportunity.
 
Cortland earned a penalty kick to take the lead in the 13th minute, as Piper Klammer (Mahopac) sprinted past a Plattsburgh defender down the left side and was fouled inside the 18-yard area after a well-weighted through ball from Leah Rehm (East Syracuse/East Syracuse-Minoa). Diem stepped up to take the spot kick, and calmly fired a shot into the lower right corner of the net for the goal.
 
Cortland continued to press for a second goal, and Plattsburgh nearly had a chance to equalize on the counterattack in the 21st minute. After a clearance on a Cortland corner kick, Delacruz sprinted through the Cortland defense, but was stopped from a challenge by Maia Allard (Castleton/Columbia) as one of the last lines of defense in front of Rouse.
 
Just seconds after subbing on in the 33rd minute, Julia DeTurris (Hicksville) curled a shot from outside the 18-yard area just high and left of the left post.
 
Nyah Sinkler (Farmingville/Sachem East) made a solid block in the 40th minute to recover and stop a chance for Plattsburgh's Claire Bottjer, and Diem made a strong defensive play in the final seconds of the half to stop a potential break for the Cardinals and keep the 1-0 advantage into halftime for Cortland.
 
In the 63rd minute, Rouse made her fourth and final save of the contest off of a free kick shot from Plattsburgh's Jillian Bezio, diving to her right to make the save. The Cortland defense was able to prevent the Cardinals from recording any other shots on goal for the remainder of the contest.
 
In the 81st minute, Klammer nearly made it a two-goal advantage for the Red Dragons, but fired a shot just over the crossbar after reacting first to a bouncing ball in the 18-yard area. Rehm sent a shot towards goal that was tapped into the net by Cirilla in the final five minutes after DuBois mishandled a cross on a Cortland free kick, but the goal was ruled out for offsides against Cirilla.
 
Cortland was able to secure possession and burn the clock to complete the victory over the final minutes.