11/14/05
Spunky Dragons drop Springfield
O-State advances to Sweet 16 in NCAAs with 3-1 home triumph
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN’S SOCCER: NCAA TOURNAMENT, SECOND ROUND
By Jeff Vella
| | | Star photo by Julie Lewis
Oneonta State’s Sarah Begley scores on a header in the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division III second-round game. |
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Staff Writer
ONEONTA — For all the talent, cohesion and ability on the Oneonta State women’s soccer team, the Red Dragons showed something else Saturday: Spunk.
After Springfield College closed within a goal off an indirect kick midway through the second half, O-State looked mad. Tricia Jaeger and Mary Velan then took the ensuing kickoff down the field and scored 14 seconds later, with Velan knocking in a rebound off Jaeger’s shot.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]The Red Dragons went on for a 3-1 victory in the NCAA Tournament second-round game, ensuring a spot in the round of 16 for the third straight year.
"It got us fired up, and Tricia and Mary took care of it," said Oneonta senior defender Sarah Tauber, whose first-half assist made her the school’s all-time leader with 23. "It’s exciting to watch."
A slidetackling foul on Jaeger set up the Springfield indirect kick that led to Lauren Peltier’s goal with 21 minutes, 51 seconds left, cutting Oneonta’s lead to 2-1.
Senior midfielder Jaeger, visibly annoyed, then made up for it by sprinting straight toward the Pride’s goal off the kickoff, going around two defenders before passing off to Velan near the 18-yard box.
Sophomore Velan sent a through ball back to Jaeger, whose left-footed shot from 14 yards went off the hands of Springfield goalie Amanda Petri. Velan and junior teammate Leslie Small were there, and Velan put in the rebound with her left foot as she fell to the ground.
"Isn’t that great senior leadership?" O-State coach Tracey Ranieri said of Jaeger, the SUNY Athletic Conference Player of the Year. "I knew exactly that was what she was thinking. We have sort of a set kickoff play, but she just did her thing and took it herself. It was fantastic. That’s the mentality that’s going to win big games."
Not only did the play restore Oneonta’s two-goal lead, but it squelched any momentum the upset-minded Pride (14-5-3) might have built.
"That was the moment we needed to stand tough," said Springfield (Mass.) coach John Gibson, whose team was making its first NCAA-Tournament appearance. "I think the ladies were still celebrating. Mentally, we switched off. With young people, that’s what they do."
The 21st-ranked Red Dragons (20-2-1), who received first-half goals from freshmen Sarah Begley and Christina Marra, likely will play host to the third and fourth rounds Saturday and Sunday.
O-State will face 14th-ranked Rochester (16-1-3) on Saturday. Twentieth-ranked Wheaton (Mass.) and 13th-ranked Tufts University meet in the other sectional game. Wheaton eliminated O-State, 3-0, in last year’s quarterfinals.
If the Red Dragons win both games, they’ll advance to the final four Nov. 25-26 in Greensboro, N.C.
"We are playing our best soccer in the last two weeks, and that’s exactly what we wanted to do," Ranieri said. "We are executing the plan."
Despite allowing a goal and giving up two other good chances to the Pride, Oneonta controlled the game with its speed and ball pressure. The Red Dragons finished with a 24-3 advantage in shots.
Springfield’s Lindsay Bugbee hit the crossbar on a counter 15 minutes into the game — the Pride’s only opportunity of the half.
"It certainly would have been very interesting to see what (scoring first) would have done to them because I don’t think they’ve been behind," Gibson said. "For us to come out with the win, everything needed to fall into place, and it didn’t."
O-State responded four minutes later. Tauber lofted a corner kick into the center of the penalty box, and Begley headed it into the far side of the net.
That gave Tauber, a strong-legged, left-footed restart specialist, seven assists this season and 23 all-time. She entered the game tied with 2005 graduate Brooke Davis (Stamford).
"As a defender, you don’t look to score the goals, you’re looking to stop them," said Tauber, whose tape-measure throw-ins are also a key part of Oneonta’s attack. "But any chance to help set up a goal is great. I’m just putting the ball up there. I’m not doing anything special. They’re the ones putting the ball in the net."
Ranieri said she discovered Tauber’s offensive abilities during her rookie season, and it happened by accident.
"It was the first weekend of her freshman season in a tournament against Wheaton, and she took a ball and threw it 40 yards, and not a single one of us knew she could do it," Ranieri said. "During preseason, there was never an opportunity for her to show that. It was so funny. She brings so many things to the table."
With 12:47 remaining in the half, Velan carved through the Springfield defense and passed to Marra on the left side of the penalty box. Marra’s shot from 10 yards caromed off Petri’s hands and in for her seventh goal of the season.
"I was just there," Marra said. "Mary was dribbling through everyone like she always does and I was just there to put it in. It was awesome. I’ve played in big games, but it’s college now, it’s NCAAs, and I know this is a big deal. Winning the first NCAA game I’ve played in is an awesome feeling."
Velan (Stamford), whose speed caused constant problems for Springfield, increased her season totals to 17 goals and a team-best nine assists. She had 16 goals and six assists as a freshman, when she earned SUNYAC Rookie of the Year.
"Last year, I was scared and real timid (in the NCAA Tournament)," Velan said. "This year, it’s an exciting feeling because we all know we’re such a great team. It’s an excitement to play against good teams. To get past this point — especially playing the way we played — gives us confidence going into the Sweet 16."
Notes: Velan’s 43 points are the second-best single-season total in school history, trailing Liz McGrail’s 45 in 2000. … Jaeger has 19 goals and four assists for 42 points — the third-best total of all-time. The 19 goals are tied with McGrail for the single-season record.
O-STATE 3, SPRINGFIELD 1
Springfield (14-5-3): Lauren Peltier 1-0, Courtney Goetz 0-1.
O-State (20-2-1): Mary Velan 1-1, Christina Marra 1-0, Sarah Begley 1-0, Sarah Tauber 0-1.
Shots-corners: S 3-1; O 24-11.
Goalies: Amanda Petri (S) 10; Laura Morcone (O) 1.
