BY MATTHEW PITARRESI
The Plattsburgh State women’s soccer team continued its quest to finish the regular season unbeaten in conference play as the Cardinals entered the final week of regular-season competition. After clinching a spot in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament last weekend, Plattsburgh State turned its attention to securing first place in the SUNYAC East Division as it welcomed SUNY Cobleskill for a conference matchup at home.
The Cardinals wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as senior defender Lia Parker (Cadyville, N.Y./Saranac) found the back of the net in the ninth minute to give Plattsburgh an early 1-0 lead. The Cardinals controlled play throughout the opening half, generating 27 shots while holding Cobleskill without an attempt to carry their one-goal advantage into halftime.
Plattsburgh continued to apply pressure after the break, recording 30 shots in the second half. The Cardinals doubled their lead in the 73rd minute when sophomore forward Lauren Marotta (Fonda, N.Y./Fonda-Fultonville) scored to make it 2-0. Just 27 seconds later, senior forward Lilley Keyser (Keeseville, N.Y./AuSable Valley) added another goal to extend the advantage to 3-0 and put the game out of reach.
The Cardinals dominated the match offensively, finishing with 57 shots, including 26 on goal, while limiting Cobleskill to just one shot for the entire contest. Plattsburgh also held a 12-0 advantage in corner kicks, while its defense surrendered just one shot on target to secure the shutout victory.
With the victory, the Cardinals improve to 9-2-4 overall and 6-0-1 in conference play, clinching the SUNYAC East Division title. Plattsburgh State returns to action Saturday on the road against Cortland in a rematch of last season’s SUNYAC Championship game, with the overall No. 1 seed in the conference tournament on the line.
