SUNY COBLESKILL DEFEATS #2 HERKIMER IN NJCAA SOCCER SHOWDOWN

In one of the most anticipated early season NJCAA men’s soccer matches of 2007 the number nine ranked Fighting Tigers of SUNY Cobleskill overcame playing a man down for over 50 minutes to defeat the visiting number two ranked Generals of Herkimer Community College by a 2-1 margin at the Cobleskill Soccer Complex yesterday. The upset victory pushes the Cobleskill overall record to 3-0 on the season with a 1-0 mark in Mountain Valley Conference action while the Generals fall to 2-1 on the year. The game was a rematch of the 2006 NJCAA Region III Division III Championship won by the Generals 1-0 in double overtime in Herkimer, NY.

The Fighting Tigers opened the scoring early at the 9:39 mark of the first half when freshman forward Lucas Heffron, Lansing, NY, Lansing High School, took a pass from freshman midfielder Cedric Bouemboue, Brooklyn, NY, Aviation High School, and found the back of the net versus the previously unscored upon General defense. After the Generals tied the game at the 16:26 mark of the half  a subsequent ejection at the 35:22 mark of the contest put Cobleskill in a man down situation until the final 5:37 remaining in regulation when the visitors were accessed with a player ejection.

Cobleskill took the lead for good at the 60:04 mark of the match when freshman midfielder Steven Medwinter, St. Albans, NY, Erasmus Hall High School, blasted an unassisted rocket from 19 yards out into the upper right corner of the Generals’ net to give the Orange & Black the lead for good and saddle the visitors from Herkimer with their first NJCAA Region III Division III loss since September of 2002.

“After losing the regional title game in double overtime to them on their field last year, I would be lying to you if I said that we didn’t have this game circled on our schedule,” said a business-like Fighting Tiger Head Coach Rob Szmarz. “This is an upset only from the standpoint that the number nine team in the nation beat the number two team in the nation. You have to understand that it is still very early in the season and that over the last three years we have showed that we defend our home turf extremely well. So upset might be too strong of a word for this victory when good teams meet at this juncture of the year.”

As to the Fighting Tiger play in the contest the Fighting Tiger Head Coach spoke in glowing terms of the day’s effort.

“As for the game, both teams scored early and then we were forced to play a man down for over 50 minutes due to an ejection. This worried me because we were without a couple veteran performers who were out due to injury. I’m extremely proud of our effort and organization while playing short-handed. Steven Medwinter’s go-a-head goal in the second half energized us for the rest of the game and we then minimized Herkimer’s offensive attack to a couple of half opportunities the rest of the way. This is a significant win for us but as I always tell our team, ‘We are now going to prepare for our most important game of the season which, as always, is out next one’.”

The Fighting Tigers will return to action on Saturday September 8th when they host the Cougars of Clinton Community College at the Cobleskill Soccer Complex beginning at 2:00 PM.