Staff Report

Virginia Battaglia scored the clinching penalty shot as seventh-seeded Mohawk Valley CC earned a trip to the NJCAA Division III Tournament by winning a penalty kick shootout over SUNY Delhi in the Region III championship at Herkimer CCC on Sunday.

Delhi coach Bob Leary said the playing conditions were less than desirable.

"The wind was unbelievable," Leary said. "It blew the goals over on the practice field. It was blowing diagonally off the field. On the PKs, there had to be a holder for the ball. You had to have a girl holding until the referee blew the whistle. I’ve never seen anything like that before."

Fourth-seeded Delhi (12-3-2) had advanced to the Region III title game with a 1-0 victory over Herkimer, the top-ranked team in the country.

Mohawk Valley goalie Kristen Wiediger made two saves in the shootout. Jodi Fox, Cassandra Fiorillo, Megan Creedon and Virginia Battaglia each scored in the shootout. Christina Intartaglia and Kelly McCullough scored for the Broncos.

"There were a lot of balls that went through to the keeper," Leary said. "You had to keep it on the ground to get any passing going.

"They did a great job and earned the win, but I think Herkimer softened us up," he continued. "We took out the No. 1 team in the country and to have to come back and play another very good team. I think we just ran out of gas."

Downsville graduate and 2005 Daily Star co-Player of the Year Courtney Hoyt scored with 19 minutes, 21 seconds remaining to give Delhi the victory over the Generals.

Hoyt got a through pass from Intartaglia on the left side and score inside the left post from about six yards. Walton graduate Amanda Moffett made 11 saves to earn the shutout. [an error occurred while processing this directive]

"It was a very, very physical game," said Leary, whose team lost, 6-5, to the Generals earlier this season. "It was a game where we had a lot of scoring opportunities. Amanda Moffett played unbelievable and kept us in it at times.

"They were shocked that we were in the game," he continued. "They thought when we played them 6-5 it was the field. We knew we could beat them. We went there expecting to beat them."

Hoyt was named the tournament’s offensive MVP. Chelsea Griep, Stephanie Roberts and Moffett were each named all-tournament.

Also announced were All-Region selections. Intartaglia and Genevieve Pedulla (Davenport) were each named to the first team. Hoyt, Roberts and Moffett were second-team selections.

Mohawk Valley 0, SUNY Delhi 0

REGION III CHAMPIONSHIP

at Herkimer

MVCC advances in a shootout, 4-2

Mohawk Valley 0 0 0 0 _ 0

Delhi 0 0 0 0 _ 0

MVCC: None.

Delhi (12-3-2): None.

Shots-corner kicks: M 8-8; Delhi 2-5.

Goalies: Kristen Wiediger (M) 2; Amanda Moffett (D) 8.

Shootout

MVCC: Jodi Fox, Virginia Battaglia, Cassandra Fiorillo, Megan Creedon.

Delhi: Christina Intartaglia, Kelly McCullough.

Delhi 1, Herkimer 0

REGION III SEMIFINAL

Saturday at Herkimer

Delhi 0 1 _ 1

Herkimer 0 0 _ 0

Delhi: Courtney Hoyt 1-0, Christina Intartaglia 0-1.

Herkimer (16-2-1): None.

Shots-corner kicks: D 10-5; H 12-7.

Goalies: Amanda Moffett (W)11; Lisa Arthus (H) 1.

Men’s Soccer

Herkimer 1, Cobleskill 0 (2 OT)

Joe Hunt scored with 3 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in the second overtime to give Herkimer the NJCAA Region III championship.

Ivan Guarin took a free kick from outside the 18 and the ball bounced in front of Hunt and back up. He then headed it in the right corner from about 10 yards out.

"It was a back-and forth game," said Cobleskill coach Rob Szmarz, whose team lost, 4-1, earlier this season to Herkimer "We knew today was going to be a dogfight considering what was at stake and the records of both teams. Unfortunately, we came 3:57 shy of a shootout. I think we would have had a great opportunity in that."

The Fighting Tigers (15-2-1), who have never won a Region III title, set a school record for victories with a 1-0 victory over Genesee CC in Saturday’s semifinal.

Cobleskill’s top chance came late in the second half when Essaha Jallow went about 65 yards and through several defenders. However, his shot was stopped by Herkimer goalie Ryan Brooks-Newton.

Abdou Seck made six saves for Cobleskill.

"It’s a disappointing end to a great season," Szmarz said. "We’ll look forward to next year."

Josh Cookfair’s goal with 20:49 remaining gave the Fighting Tigers the win over Genesee. Seck made three saves to earn his 11th shutout of the season.

Cobleskill 0, Herkimer 1 (2 OT)

REGION III CHAMPIONSHIP

at Herkimer

Cobleskill 0 0 0 0 _ 0

Herkimer 0 0 0 1 _ 1

Cobleskill (15-2-1): None.

Herkimer (17-1-1): Joe Hunt 1-0, Ivan Guarin 0-1.

Shots-corner kicks: C 7-4; H 7-7.

Goalies: Abdou Seck (C) 6; Ryan Brooks-Newton (H) 6.

Cobleskill 1, Genesee 0

REGION III SEMIFINAL

Saturday at Herkimer

Cobleskill 0 1 _ 1

Genesee 0 0 _ 0

Cobleskill: Josh Cookfair 1-0, Jamey Crumb 0-1.

Genesee (13-4-1): None.

Shots-corner kicks: C 6-5; G 4-2.

Goalies: Abdou Seck (C) 3; Johnny D’Amato (G) 5.