BOXSCORE FREDONIA, N.Y. – The flashiest goal of the season highlighted Fredonia State's 3-2 SUNYAC men's soccer win Friday over the New Paltz Hawks.
With his team leading 2-1 in the second half, sophomore midfielder
Paul Reinis (Webster) executed a perfect bicycle kick from the top of 18-foot box. His teammates and most of the University Stadium crowd let out a loud cheer.
In addition to the goal by Reinis, his second of the season, senior midfielder
Chase Lipshie (Port Jefferson Station) and freshman midfielder
Sam Greco (Lockport) had goals for the Blue Devils, who improved to 2-5-1 in SUNYAC (5-10-1 overall) and kept their faint playoff hopes alive.
Jake Falk and Brian Spina scored for New Paltz.
Blue Devil junior goalkeeper
A.J. Grecco (Buffalo) was credited with five saves while New Paltz's Steven Domino had four stops. The Hawks had a 13-12 edge in shots, while the Blue Devils had a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Fredonia State took a 1-0 lead when senior defender
Jakob Persons (Albany) outran a defender wide down the right sideline. Persons crossed the ball into the box, where Lipshie slid and directed the ball into the net for his second goal of the season. It came at 9:34 in the first half.
The Blue Devils took a 2-0 lead off a corner kick in the 22nd minute. Freshman midfielder
Ryan Keller (East Aurora) took the corner and senior midfielder
Jay Dry (Lockport) headed the ball from near the top of the box into the crease, where follow Lockport High graduate Greco snuck the ball between Domino and a New Paltz defender stationed against the right post. It was Greco's second goal of the year.
The Hawks cut their deficit in half in the 32nd minute when Falk squirted the ball through the legs of Grecco, who had come off his line to challenge the shooter. Hobie Ramin was credited with an assist after forward the ball into space so Falk could run it down.
The bicycle kick by Reinis in the 57th minute, his second goal of the year, made it 3-1 Fredonia State, assisted by Dry and Keller. Spina closed out the scoring with a long strike off a throw-in with just under 20 minutes remaining. Bernardo Menendez was given an assist.
The outcome left the Blue Devils and Hawks with seven points each, two points behind Buffalo State, and three points behind Potsdam and Geneseo in the race for the sixth and final playoff spot. Fredonia State must defeat current conference leader Oneonta in order to still have a shot. The Red Dragons travel to Fredonia for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
