The Oneonta State

Star photo by Anita Briggs Oneonta State’s Sarah Begley works her way past Cortland’s Caitlin Cimino in the second half of the Nov. 5 SUNYAC Tournament championship game at the Wright National Soccer Campus. O-State reached the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 4-1 victory.

women’s soccer team will play host to an NCAA Division III sectional round of the Sweet 16 this weekend at Red Dragon Field.

The Red Dragons (20-2-1) open the weekend at 11 a.m. Saturday against Rochester (16-1-3). Tufts (14-3-1) follows against Wheaton (18-4-2) in a battle of Massachusetts-based programs at 1 p.m.

The sectional championship is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, with the winner advancing to the national final four in Greensboro, N.C., on Nov. 25.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Oneonta State reached the Sweet 16 with a 3-1 victory over Springfield on Saturday at Red Dragon Field. Stamford graduate Mary Velan had a goal and an assist to pace O-State.

Velan leads the Red Dragons with 17 goals and nine assists. Tricia Jaeger has 19 goals and four assists, followed by Leslie Small’s nine goals and one assist.

Senior goalie Laura Morcone has six shutouts this season and a 0.59 goals against average. She also has shared eight other shutouts with backup Jeannine Marra.

The Red Dragons also played host to this round last season, losing, 3-0, to Wheaton in the sectional championship. O-State won the national championship in 2003.

Rochester beat William Smith, 1-0, in the first round. The Yellowjackets then played Union to a scoreless tie before advancing, 4-2, on penalty kicks. Mary Walsh is the team’s top scorer with 13 goals and two assists.

Tufts opened the tournament with victories over Johnson & Wales (3-0) and Bates College (1-0). Ariel Samuelson leads the Jumbos with 12 goals and three assists.

Wheaton earned victories over Worcester State (4-0) and Western Connecticut (1-0). Lauren Konopka, who has 17 goals and 10 assists, is its top scorer.