FIGHTING TIGER MEN’S SOCCER FALL IN REGION III CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The SUNY Cobleskill men’s soccer team closed out the 2007 season advancing to the NJCAA Region III Division III Championship game on Sunday at Tompkins-Cortland Community College in Dryden, NY where the top seeded Fighting Tigers dropped a 1-0 decision to Herkimer Community College. Cobleskill had advanced to the title game by tying Mohawk Valley Community College on Saturday in the tournament’s semifinal round 1-1 and defeating the Hawks in a shootout, 4-3, to advance to the finale versus Herkimer. The Fighting Tigers close the season with the best overall single-season record in program history at 16-2-1 and had been ranked third in the NJCAA Division III National Poll heading into the tournament.

Trailing 1-0 in Saturday’s semifinal with 3:13 left in regulation, freshman forward Lucas Heffron, Lansing, NY, Lansing High School, connected on a blast from 25 yards out when Mohawk Valley failed to clear the ball defensively from their end of the field to tie the contest at 1-1. After neither team could score in the following two overtime periods, the contest ended in a tie with a shootout held to determine who would advance to the finals.

The Fighting Tigers met the challenge with Lucas Heffron, freshman forward Cedric Bouemboue, Brooklyn, NY, Aviation High School, and freshman defender Jacob Spiegel, Chazy, NY, Chazy High School, each scoring on their shot attempts. After an earlier missed Mohawk Valley shot freshman goalie Corey Lewis, Plattsburgh, NY, Chazy High School, made a dramatic save to limit the Hawks to only three goals in the shootout. That set the stage for freshman defender/midfielder Steven Medwinter, St. Albans, NY, Erasmus Hall High School, who found the back of the Hawk’s net and sent the Fighting Tigers to the championship match.

“We definitely had vengeance on our mind as Mohawk Valley was the only blemish on our record heading into the tournament,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Rob Szmarz. “We were able to work the ball around on them with ease but the heart that their defense played with limited our quality scoring opportunities and left us with some very average shots on goal. In the shootout, I thought the pressure was really more on them as they had the first miss rather than us which is as relaxing as it can be in a shootout.”

In the championship, Herkimer scored with 30:29 remaining in the first half on a deflected header by Lee Martins and from that point on the game turned into a dramatic defensive oriented struggle with each team making key defensive stands on the opposition’s quality scoring opportunities.

After the contest, coach Szmarz spoke about the contest in reflective terms about the game and the season long rivalry between the two programs.

“I would gladly take a loss versus them in the regular season to insure a win in the post season. Fact of the matter is that you have to tip your hat to Herkimer because they have an incredible program that is very well coached and organized. I feel that they brought the best out in us as a program and me as a head coach during my tenure here in the NJCAA.”

The Fighting Tiger mentor closed speaking about his senior class and their impact on SUNY Cobleskill Soccer.