Senior Tyler Kirschner scored the game winner in the first half (Photo: Darl Zehr Photography)
CORTLAND, N.Y. — The nationally sixth-ranked Cortland men's soccer team advanced to its second NCAA Div. III "Sweet 16" in the last three seasons with a 2-1 victory versus Scranton Sunday evening at the Stadium Complex. The Red Dragons extended their program-record single-season winning streak to 14 games and improved to 19-2 on the season. The Royals finished their season at 15-4-1.
Cortland will face Franklin & Marshall in the third round at a location and time to be determined.
Junior Ma'Cain Spragling (Akron, OH/Brush) scored his first goal as a Red Dragon, and senior Tyler Kirschner (Dix Hills/Half Hollow Hills East) tallied what proved to the game winner for Cortland. Junior goalie Connor Young (Bayport/Bayport-Blue Point) recorded an assist and made seven saves.
Sophomore Connor Casey (Hatfield, PA/LaSalle College H.S.) scored Scranton's goal with senior Henry Bonilla (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennington School) collecting an assist. Senior goalie Eric Hintz (South Windsor, CT) registered two saves.
The Royals created the first scoring chance in the game, but junior Gavin Coutts (Mendham, NJ/West Morris Mendham) just missed wide left with his low shot from the right side of the box. Spragling gave the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute. After a Cortland corner kick, Spragling hit a 20-yard shot on a loose ball that found its way inside the left post. Kirschner scored the game-winning goal in the 36th minute. Young possessed the ball and delivered a long, high punt well past midfield. Kirschner outran a Scranton defender, beat Hintz to the ball and sent a shot into the open goal for his sixth goal of the season.
The game shifted momentum in the second half right after Cortland senior Nick Tata (Rochester/Aquinas Institute) almost put the Red Dragons ahead 3-0 with a shot off the crossbar and over the end line. The Royals quickly pulled to within 2-1 in the 59th minute when Casey scored from nearly the same spot on the field that Spragling did.
Scranton continued to pressure and was inches away from tying the game in the 77th minute when senior Tim DiBisceglie (Mine Hill, NJ/Gill St. Bernard's) rang a low, hard shot off the right post and Cortland cleared the ball from trouble. The Royals' final chance came with 30 seconds left on the clock. Scranton was awarded a free kick 35 yards out on the left side and brought every player into the box, including Hintz. The serve, however, carried over the end line and Cortland was able to run out the clock after the goal kick and hold on for the win.
Cortland 2, Scranton 1
NCAA Second Round
Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Scranton: Connor Casey 1-0, Henry Bonilla 0-1
Cortland: Ma'Cain Spragling 1-0, Tyler Kirschner 1-0, Connor Young 0-1
Halftime: Cortland 2, Scranton 0
Shots: Scanton 20, Cortland 13
Corner Kicks: Cortland 3, Scranton 3
Fouls: Cortland 7, Scranton 6
Saves: Eric Hintz (Scranton) 2 (2 GA in 90:00), Connor Young (Cortland) 7 (1 GA in 90:00)
Record after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 19-2 (ranked 6th nationally in Div. III); Scranton (Royals) 15-4-1
