BOXSCORE FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Fredonia State moved up one spot in the SUNYAC women's soccer standings and closer to a SUNYAC playoff berth with a 2-1 home win Saturday over the Plattsburgh Cardinals.
The Blue Devils, 3-0 winners Friday over Potsdam, improved to 2-4-1 in the conference and 4-9-2 overall. They also moved past Potsdam and into a tie with the Cardinals for seventh place, one point behind sixth-place Geneseo. Each team has two conference games remaining. The top six teams make the SUNYAC Tournament.
Freshman midfielder
Kristie Kleine (Cazenovia) broke a 1-1 tie in the 60th minute following some nifty passing by her teammates. Freshman forward
Alexis Moreland (Newfane) scored the Blue Devils' first goal and freshman goalkeeper
Hannah McGlinchey (Babylon) was credited with eight saves.
Vicky Scott scored for the Cardinals, who fell to 2-4-1 in the SUNYAC and 4-9-2 overall. Plattsburgh goalkeeper Kristy Kirkpatrick made seven saves.
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Moreland opened the scoring with her fourth goal of the season in the 22nd minute. Kleine set up the play when she turned with a ball in the midfield and sent a lead pass into Fredonia State's offensive end. Moreland outran the Plattsburgh goalkeeper into open space and popped the ball over her right shoulder into the open net.
Kleine was credited with an assist.
The Cardinals took advantage of a free kick to pull even at 1-1. McGlinchey came off her line to play a high ball into the box. When she mishandled it, Scott pounced and drilled a low shot into the vacated net in the 40th minute.
Plattsburgh took the momentum into halftime and came out strong in the early stages of the second half. Fredonia State regained traction nearing the midway point and retook the lead on a play in which four Blue Devils touched the ball.
First, senior midfielder
Maria Green (Loudonville) played the ball wide up the right sideline, where junior defender
Maggie Horan (Livonia) ran it down. Horan sent a cross into the middle of the field, where Moreland touched it off and kept it moving along. Kleine completed the play with a quick shot for her seventh goal of the season -- and her third game-winner.
Horan and Moreland were given assists.
The Blue Devils had five other excellent scoring chances later in the second half, including a shot off the cross bar by Horan and a breakaway by Kleine, which Kirkpatrick thwarted. The late flurry enabled the Blue Devils to own an 18-13 advantage in shots. Plattsburgh had a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.
Six Fredonia State seniors were recognized during a pre-game ceremony. Appearing in their final regular-season home games were Green, defender
Mary Bruton (Palmyra), midfielder
Catie Hale (Lockport), forward
Kristi Putzig (Williamsville), and defender
Shannon Letina (Clarence). Idled by injury, yet also recognized, was senior midfielder
Zanna Barth (Amherst).
The Blue Devils will take final aim on securing a SUNYAC playoff spot with road games next Friday at New Paltz and next Saturday at Oneonta.
