Box Score GENESEO, N.Y. – SUNY Geneseo senior forward Nicole Bell found a way to direct home the game-winning goal in the 86th minute as the Knights earned a 1-0 victory over visiting Cortland to win the 2021 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship on Saturday at College Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Cortland outshot Geneseo, 4-2, in the first half, but the Knights had high-quality opportunities to take the lead early on. In just the third minute of play, senior forward Hannah Sullivan fired a 30-yard shot that glanced off the crossbar.
- In the 21st minute, senior midfielder Mackenzie Griffin played a long pass from the midfield over the top where sophomore forward Liv Raucci ran it down and fired a shot on goal, but was stopped by the Cortland goalkeeper.
- With just over 12 minutes to play, Bell had a breakaway opportunity but was stonewalled by the Cortland backstop, thwarting the Knights' chances.
- In the 86th minute, senior forward Hannah Sullivan drew a foul just outside the box on the left flank. Sullivan teed up the ensuing free kick and fired toward the six-yard line where Bell laid out to get her body to the ball and redirected it just inside the far post for the deciding goal.
QUICK FACTS
- Bell finished with her seventh goal of the season while Sullivan earned her 11th assist of the year. Bell and Sullivan were joined on the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team by senior midfielder Mackenzie Griffin and senior back Julia Dell Aquila while Sullivan was also named Tournament MVP.
- Geneseo earns its ninth SUNYAC Championship in program history and the third conference crown in the past four contested seasons.
- Junior goalkeeper Angel Bennett finished with three saves to record the victory and her sixth clean sheet and the Knights' 12th shutout of the season.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Geneseo (15-2-1) earns an automatic-qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament and will learn its opponent and site of competition on Monday at 1:00 p.m. when the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament airs.
