The Plattsburgh State women’s soccer team continued conference play this past weekend on the road. After losing Friday 1-0 against Oneonta, the Cardinals responded positively a day later with a 5-1 victory over New Paltz.
“We were working hard, but we just weren’t playing our game,” head coach Tania Armellino said about Friday’s loss. “It was a big win, five different people scored. We really needed a good win on the road after feeling bummed with the way we played against Oneonta.”
The Cards let up an early goal against the Hawks Saturday, which is not how the team wanted to start after Friday’s loss, however, it ended up being the only goal allowed and PSUC went on to score five unanswered goals to finish the weekend strong.
“Unfortunately, New Paltz scored within the first five minutes,” junior forward Sarah Haight said. “But we didn’t put our heads down and didn’t give up. We fought back and came out with a win.”
This upcoming weekend will be an exciting one for the Cards, as not only will the seniors be celebrating their careers at PSUC with it being the final home weekend, but it is also alumni weekend – giving the Cards even more of a home field advantage.
“What’s nice is being back home,” Armellino said. “It’s going to be a really big weekend, and it’s great because we want to hold our home record and utilize it to our advantage. Hopefully we play on that advantage with high energy by coming out strong.”
With it being the final home stand of the season for PSUC, it gives them even more of an edge coming in to these matchups, giving them even more of a reason to want to outperform their opponents.
“It’s something they’re really excited for,” Armellino said. “With the extra day of rest for the fall break they’re eager to get out there in front of their home fans.”
All season long the Cards have had contributions from all over the field, which was showcased in their win Saturday as five different players scored in their 5-1 victory. Scoring comes from all over and can come from anyone on the roster, as their top five scorers range from three to nine goals on the season.
“If you look at a lot of other teams, they mostly have one main scorer, but for us, we have so many,” Haight said. “You have to get through all of us to really stop us. Everyone is connecting really well on the field, especially comparing it now to how it was in the beginning of the season.”
Over the course of the season, the Cards have battled five different conference opponents and have won four of those matches. This weekend they will host Buffalo State and Fredonia as they hope to improve their conference record and secure another successful SUNYAC weekend.
“I think we prepare for any double header the same,” graduate student midfielder Cammey Keyser said. “We see the other team’s tendencies and a little bit of their style, but at the end of the day it comes down to how we are going to implement our game.”
The last two times PSUC matched up against Buffalo State were on the road, so this time the Cards look to continue their success at home against the top team in the SUNYAC conference.
“Two tough games back to back is hard no matter what,” Keyser said. “We always come out with a lot of energy and a quick pace, especially when we need to protect our home turf.”
Email Ezra Kachaturian at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
