QUINTIN JAMES
Staff Writer
Coming off an amazing penalty shootout win in their first home playoff victory ever, the Fredonia men’s soccer team looked to advance to the SUNYAC playoff championship game. In their way was conference rival Oneonta, a team the Blue Devils had to beat on the field a few weeks ago to get into the playoffs.
The Blue Devils had all the confidence in the world and were looking to advance to the championship. According to senior Sam Greco, they were a focused team heading into the game and throughout the season.
“I liked how determined this team was this year. We all had the same goals in mind and went out each day and worked and pushed each other,” Greco said.
Going into the game against Oneonta, the Blue Devils were playing with a lot of fight, and that fight continued in the first half of the game. They played a scoreless first half and were neck and neck against Oneonta until the second half.
The Blue Devils looked totally out of gas, and Oneonta capitalized and took control of the second half. The Blue Devils defense finally cracked, as they allowed a goal in the 61st minute off a rebound by Witman Hernandez.
Fredonia would hold Oneonta off for the next few minutes, but two more goals by Hernandez in the 79th and 82nd minutes off crosses put into the box would be too much for the Blue Devils to overcome. The stats showed that Fredonia was just overmatched in the game. In the second half, they were out-shot 14-2 and didn’t have the same energy as in the first half.
Fredonia’s season ended at the hands of Oneonta by a score of 4-0.
Even after being eliminated, Fredonia should be happy about how the season went. From last in 2015 to third in 2016 in the SUNYAC conference and a playoff win, things are looking up for the Blue Devils.
Senior Bryan Sibble explained what the seniors’ message was to the underclassmen after the game. “We accomplished a lot this season. We made SUNYAC playoffs for the first time in six years and turned our 3-13-3 record last year into an 11-7-2 record this year. I want them to remember how good it felt to win this season and to keep that in mind in the offseason,” said Sibble. “We all made it a priority this year to come into pre-season fit and ready to go. Over summer, we motivated each other to put the work in, and the results showed when we all passed our fitness test. It was hard but necessary, and the underclassmen must be willing to duplicate this.”
Fredonia’s season isn’t over just yet. The Blue Devils, ranked No. 6 in the East Region, may not be finished in 2016, should the NCAA tournament selection committee pick them this week. Nonetheless, the Blue Devils had a season in which progress was made towards the future.