The SUNY Oneonta men's soccer team will play host to an opening weekend in the 2015 NCAA Division III tournament.  The Red Dragons will play CCNY on Saturday morning at 11am on Red Dragon Field.  Admission to the game is $6 general admission, $3 for seniors and students and $2 for children ages 3-12.
 
The SUNY Oneonta State men's soccer team earned its automatic berth into the NCAA tournament after winning its fourth SUNYAC title in the past five years last weekend.  The Red Dragons defeated Plattsburgh, 3-0, in the semifinals of the conference tournament before defeating Brockport, 3-0, in the championship game.
 
Oneonta will be making its fifth straight NCAA appearance since rejoining the ranks of Division III in 2006 and becoming eligible for the NCAA tournament in 2008.  In 2011, in its first Division III tournament, the Red Dragons advanced all the way to the national championship weekend in San Antonio.  Last year, they returned to the national semifinals in Kansa City, MO.
 
"This senior class have contributed to three Conference titles, and will play in the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight year, which will be the first class to do so in the program's history," commented Head Coach Iain Byrne.  "They have set incredible standards for all future players to live up to."
 
This is Oneonta's ninth NCAA tournament appearance overall.  Prior to 2006, Oneonta competed in Division I & II before officially joining Division III.  During that time, Oneonta made four consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament from 1972-75.  In 1972, the Red Dragons played in the first Division II national championship game.
 
Oneonta will enter the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament with an overall record of 15-3-1.  The Red Dragons have won six straight games – the last five wins coming by shutout.  During its run to Kansa City last fall, the Red Dragons established a single season program record for victories with 21.
 
"After falling short in Kansas City last year, the team has responded really well and is ready to finish what we started," stated senior Captain Sean Vinberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa).  "The team has gotten into a great rhythm recently and we are excited to keep it going this weekend."
 
Overall, Oneonta has scored 41 goals while holding its opponents to nine.  The Red Dragons have recorded 12 shutouts this fall for a shutout percentage of 63 percent.  The Red Dragons are currently tenth nationally while leading the SUNYAC with its 0.47 goals against average.  Oneonta also has a huge advantage in shots 325-113 and corner kicks 127-59.s
 
Individually, the Red Dragons have five players who have registered double-digits in points including three seniors, one junior and a sophomore.  Senior Jake Sutherland (Syracuse/West Genesee) leads the squad with 18 points and is tied with sophomore Cory Santangelo (Sayville/Sayville) with seven goals.  The two have combined for five game winning goals and both were named to the All-SUNYAC First Team.
 
Senior Greg Silvestro (West Sayville/Connetquot), who is a starter on defense, has registered 12 points this fall on three goals and a team-best six assists.  Silvestro was the Most Valuable Player of the SUNYAC Tournament after contributing a goal and an assist in the championship game.
 
"Things really seem to be clicking for us at just the right time," said Silvestro.  "We know we still have a long way to go to complete our goal of winning a national championship, but we must continue to take things one game at a time. We look forward to keeping the momentum going this weekend."
 
Senior Dylan Williams (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) and junior Hans Purtell (Johnson City/Johnson City) round out the quintet with 11 and 10 points respectively.  Both players were selected to the All-Conference Team with Williams being a First Team player and Purtell a Third Team honoree.
 
In addition to Silvestro, Oneonta's back line includes three classmates that have formed a formidable group that has led the Red Dragons this season.  Led by SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year, Jared Van Brunt (Sayville/Sayville), and First Team All-SUNYAC players, Matthew Matteo (Millerton/Webutuck) and Vincent Pellegrino (Baldwin/Baldwin), this foursome has become virtually impenetrable.
 
Pellegrino has been the anchor of this group in goal.  He has started every game and has played all but 63 minutes entering the opening weekend.  He has 10 shutouts and a save percentage of 82 percent.
 
Of the three teams that are here this weekend, Oneonta has played both CCNY and Rutgers-Camden.  The Red Dragons have played the Beavers four times with the last meeting coming in 1974, which was a 10-0 win for Oneonta.
 
Oneonta's only meeting with the Scarlet Raptors came in 2011 in the quarterfinals for the NCAA tournament, which the Red Dragons won, 2-1, in double overtime.
 
Byrne concluded, "We are excited to be hosting the NCAA's for the fourth time in the last five years, and we are hoping for a great weekend as we progress towards the sweet sixteen. We know the challenges that are ahead of us, but with our tournament experience we are confident we can give a good account of ourselves."
 
The winner of this weekend's opening round will advance to the sectional round next weekend where the tournament will be narrowed down to the final four teams.  The national championship weekend is scheduled for Friday & Saturday, Dec. 4-5 in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
Scouting CCNY
CCNY took home their sixth conference title and first since 2005 with its 2-1 victory in double overtime against the College of State Island.  The Beavers enter the tournament with an overall record of 11-7.
 
City has appeared in two NCAA Tournaments, with the last one coming in 2005.  The Beavers fell 5-0 in the first round to Salisbury. City's other tournament appearance came in 2003 where they fell 6-1 to Wheaton (MA) in the first round.
 
Junior captain, Abdul Abdulai, was named CUNYAC Sportsmanship Winner as well as a first team midfielder. Anthony Scarallo and Maxwell Berkow were both named to the second team as a defender and goalkeeper, respectively.
 
Head coach Roberto Ignaccolo is in his ninth season at the helm. During that time, he owns a 56-98-14 record and has earned one CUNYAC Coach of the Year back in 2013.
 
Scouting Rutgers-Camden
For many teams, a season culminating in an ECAC championship would be considered a great year, but for the 2014 Rutgers University-Camden men's soccer team, the focus pointed toward a return to the NCAA tournament in 2015. Rutgers-Camden achieved that goal on Nov. 7 by outlasting NSCAA No. 3-ranked Montclair State on penalty kicks to capture its fourth New Jersey Athletic Conference title in five seasons. The Scarlet Raptors also won NJAC titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013, advancing to the NCAA title game in 2013.
 
Rutgers-Camden had a quick start in 2015 and was ranked as high as No. 17 in the D3soccer.com poll with an 8-1-1 record before losing five of six games. The team recovered with a 4-0-1 run, entering the NCAA tournament at 13-7-2 (13 games against ranked or receiving-vote teams).
 
The Raptors earned six All-NJAC honors, including Offensive Player of the Year Mike Ryan, a senior whose 75th career goal set the all-time NJAC goal-scoring record. Ryan (18 goals, three assists, 39 points) and senior midfielder Connor Hurff (7-10-24) were NJAC First Team players. NJAC Honorable Mention freshman goalie James Brett was named the NSCAA Division III Men's Player of the Week on Nov. 10.
 
Scouting Eastern
The Eastern Men's Soccer team compiled a 16-2-2 overall record and went 4-2-1 in the MAC Freedom. The Eagles were ranked as high as eighth in the nation this season starting the season with a 15 match unbeaten streak. Eastern made the MAC Freedom Championship as the No. 3 seed.
 
The playoffs proved to be a redemption run for the Eagles. Eastern won a dramatic 1-0 2 OT victory over FDU-Florham, who had beaten Eastern just four days prior. Eastern then went on to defeat King's College 2-0 in the final. The top-seeded Monarchs beat the Eagles two weeks earlier. With the victory, the Eagles claimed their first MAC Freedom title.
 
JD Saracco, the MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Year, finished the regular season tied for the team lead with seven goals. Five of the junior midfielder's seven goals stood up as game-winners.
 
Saracco and five other Eagles earned 2015 All-MAC Freedom Team honors. Senior Hunter Rosenberg and sophomore Jadon Ramsing joined Saracco on the first team. Sean Dougherty and Chad Mentzer were named to the second team, and senior John Remsberg received honorable mention.