Post Classifieds
Early goal plagues ladies in playoff loss to Cortland
By Leif Reigstad
On October 30, 2012
The Buffalo State women's soccer team saw its season come to a close over the weekend
after a 3-0 loss at Cortland in the quarterfinals of the SUNYAC playoffs Saturday.
The Bengals were facing a one-goal deficit seemingly from the start as Cortland scored
just 1:03 into the game. According to head coach Nick DeMarsh, his team was deflated
after conceding an early goal that could have been prevented.
"It was a disgrace," DeMarsh said. "Just a disgrace. One of my players got a bit too
clever with the ball in the back, had a pass intercepted, and then had to chase down that
player and block her cross, giving them a corner."
DeMarsh said he talked to his team before the game about the importance of both
winning the first five minutes and defending set pieces - corner kicks, in particular.
"The corner kick, we didn't deal with it well," DeMarsh said. "We didn't clear our lines,
and the rebound ended up inside the box."
Bengals' goalkeeper Linda Banfield made the initial save, tipping the shot over her own
head, but the ball bounced back in play.
"It was super awkward," Banfield said. "I couldn't get it over the bar, and once I was on
the ground, I was stuck in the mud. I was running but not getting anywhere, and it just
kind of rolled past the line."
Cortland plays on grass, not turf, and the conditions were wet and muddy. The area right
in front of the goal - where the goalkeeper stands - is usually the muddiest place on a
soccer field.
"The field was slick," DeMarsh said. "(Banfield) turned and gave a little 'Scooby Doo'
feet-shuffle. The ball didn't even hit the back of the net. It just kind of trickled over the
line."
The goal set the tone for the rest of the game. Cortland scored in the 72nd minute and
again in the 84th.
"To give up a goal in the first minute of play, it was very deflating," DeMarsh said. "It
was in the first five minutes, which we talked about. It was on a corner kick, which we
talked about. That's what we talked about.
"Then we concede on a corner kick in the first minute. It was almost as though we made
it come true somehow, our worst fear."
The Bengals tried to battle back, firing 12 shots - but just two were on net.
"We had a lot of scoring chances, actually," said co-captain Shannon Yokopovich, who
recently received All-SUNYAC second team honors. "Their goalkeeper was just tall and
lanky, and saved them all. It should have been closer."
According to DeMarsh, the score did not represent how the game went. The first goal
aside, he was pleased with his team's performance, just not the result.
"We worked the ball well, we had moments," DeMarsh said. "We put a lot of pressure on
them for a long time. We had seven corner kicks, and we don't usually out-corner a team
like Cortland that plays pretty direct.
"I don't think we played poorly. But it's our worst score of the year, in the most
important game of the year."
Junior center back Jordan Dudish, who started 16 games this season and was named to
the All-SUNYAC first team, returned to action after suffering an injury three games ago.
Dudish came off the bench for the Bengals but was unable to play at her usual level.
"She hadn't played all week," DeMarsh said. "She did her best, she worked hard, but
we were a little bit out of sync. She's a first-team all-conference player, and emotionally
she's a leader on the team, so it's hard to replace her."
Buffalo State finished the season with a 5-9-5 overall record, and was 3-2-4 in SUNYAC.
After starting 1-0-6, the Bengals managed to turn things around, ripping off a nine-
game unbeaten streak to qualify for the playoffs as the 5th seed. But an early end to their
playoff run is not the season finale the Bengals had in mind.
"It's disappointing, because obviously we want to go to the finals," Banfield said. "But
we've just got to learn for next year and prepare now to be able to get further in the
postseason next year."
Leif Reigstad can be reached at reigstad.record@live.com.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
Recent The Record News Articles
Runge's on-court progress parallels off-court success
Buffalo State men's basketball coach Fajri Ansari remembers his decision to recruit Seth Runge out of Springville-Griffith Institute ...
Bashore Baltimore bound after finding success in fashion field
Kelsey Bashore opened her email over spring break and glanced over one particular message several times to confirm what she was ...
Ladies win OT thriller to close season
After being eliminated from the playoffs last week, the Buffalo State lacrosse team knew Saturday's game at Potsdam would be its last ...
Discuss This Article
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THE RECORD NEWS
- We've Moved to www.buffstaterecord.com!
- Obama divulges new higher education initiative during visit to UB
- Ailing Podolefsky steps down as president
- SUNY appoints Cohen interim president
- President Podolefsky announces leave to fight cancer
- Rappers put Pepsi in a bind
- Congrats to grads: take next step with gratitude
RECENT THE RECORD CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- A Story To Sing About
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
- Clear the Air of Indoor Pollutants This Spring
- Stroke & Dementia in Black Men: Tips for Staying Healthy...
- Hispanics and African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye...
- African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye Disease
- Infinity Kings: Final Book In A Favorite Fantasy Series
- What You Need To Know About Keratoconus and the iLink...
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- Don’t Let Diabetes Shortchange Your Golden Years
- No Child is Forgotten By Marine Toys for Tots
- Sweeten Your Springtime Salads With Healthy Chilean Grapes
- Young Author Translates 4,000-Year-Old Text to Reveal...
- Keeping Cool and Energy-efficient Amid America’s “...
- Addressing Sarcopenia with a Healthy Diet
- Subway’s New Wraps Elevate Eating on the Go
- Family Teacher Conference Topics Beyond Academics
- Youth Take Down Tobacco
- BookTrib’s Bites: Four Reads to Kickoff Spring
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
- BLUMHOUSE AND AMC THEATRES LAUNCH FIRST-EVER HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
- THE GEN Z IMPERATIVE: LISTEN TO FEELINGS AND GIVE GEN Z A VOICE
