By Justin Rushia
Plattsburgh State women’s soccer enjoyed a strong start to conference play with wins over Fredonia and Morrisville. Now, the Cardinals (3-9) fell in its SUNYAC home opener to the reigning SUNYAC champions: the Cortland Red Dragons (5-2-4).
After struggling to find their footing offensively to begin the season, the Cardinals looked to SUNYAC play as their shot at a fresh start. Plattsburgh scored six goals in its first two conference games — more than it had scored in its first six non-conference games combined.
“I think that some of our younger players are really stepping up into those roles they need to be in,” head coach Whitney Frary said. “It’s been exciting to see them having that kind of work ethic.”
After the loss, Plattsburgh fell three spots to fifth in the standings.
The Cards are still very much in the playoff race, with six other teams, including Cortland, winning two SUNYAC games.
In their last two head-to-head matchups, in 2022 and 2023, Plattsburgh and Cortland tied. The draw in 2023 contributed to the Cardinals’ six-game unbeaten streak to end the season going into the SUNYAC tournament.
The Red Dragons, projected to finish first in the SUNYAC pre-season polls, found themselves sitting in fourth place, trailing the Cardinals, who were ranked second before their matchup.
As the 11 a.m. matchup kicked off, it was clear that Cortland looked to jump Plattsburgh in the rankings.
Plattsburgh’s defense, backed by reigning All-SUNYAC First Team goalie Lauren Haley and All-SUNYAC Third Team defender Casey Granger, was put to the test early and often by the Cortland attack. The Red Dragons registered five shots in the first 25 minutes of the game. The Cardinals managed one.
The Red Dragons’ relentless and high-pace attack breached the Cardinal defense, striking first in the 27th minute to gain the 1-0 advantage. This was Plattsburgh’s first time trailing in a SUNYAC game this season.
Plattsburgh conceded a goal approximately two minutes later after an unlucky Plattsburgh clearance allowed Cortland to knock another past Haley, giving it the 2-0 lead.
The Cardinal attack, which was averaging three goals per game in the SUNYAC, struggled against the tough Red Dragon defense.
“When we would try and transition into our attack, they did a good job at stopping it and used no-nonsense clearance to get it out so that we didn’t have a chance to build our offense much,” first-year attacker Leah Warren said.
Neither team was able to score in the remaining 15 minutes of the half, putting the Cards at a 0-2 disadvantage at the Field House.
As the second half commenced, the Plattsburgh defense adjusted to Cortland’s fast pace of play and kept the ball out of its goal for the rest of the match.
Haley is having a remarkable campaign so far this season, already making 61 saves in 11 games for an average of 5.5 saves per game.
“We spent the whole practice beforehand just working on the defensive aspect and making sure we lock them down because they’re quick,” Warren said. “I think that we had a really good defensive game, especially in the second half, regardless of the score.”
Plattsburgh finished the game with three shots — two of them on goal — compared to Cortland’s 15 shots, five of them on goal, all in the first half.
Haley finished with three saves, all coming in the first half, and the Cortland keeper finished with two.
This matchup marked the team’s annual Morgan’s Message game. The chapter strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.
A moment of silence was observed and teal ribbons were worn by athletes to represent Morgan’s Message.
In the following game, Plattsburgh lost 0-1 to Oneonta on the road Oct. 9, in a game it led in shots and tied for shots on goal. The Cardinals now stand at seventh, tied with fifth-place Fredonia and sixth-place Oswego in points.
Plattsburgh will continue its run of conference games with its breast cancer awareness game against Buffalo State (6-6, 3-1) on Saturday, Oct 12.
“I think that we have all the pieces. It’s just a matter of putting it together,” Warren said. “We’re still figuring it out, but it definitely just takes a lot of positivity and understanding that we’ll get there.”
