ONEONTA, N.Y. - Host SUNY-Oneonta rode a quick offensive flurry in the opening minutes of the second half to a 4-0 victory over the Gators.
Leading 1-0 at the intermission, the Red Dragons scored three goals in the first eight minutes of the second half, with two on set pieces, to pull away from the Gators. With the loss, Allegheny falls to 1-6 on the season, while Oneonta improves to 4-1-1.
The Gator defense was put to the test early, as Oneonta tallied five shots and a pair of corner kicks over the first 12 minutes. The Red Dragons continued to press, with two more close attempts in the 15th minute, but both were turned aside by Allegheny keeper
Tara Lynch to keep the game scoreless.
The teams traded shots over the next 10 minutes, with both Lynch and Oneonta's Kelley Murphy making a pair of saves over the span, before the hosts' Kayla Belush scored the game's first goal with 14:30 left in the half.
Allegheny looked to counter over the closing minutes of the half, with a Murphy save off of a shot from
Niki Augustine setting up a Gator corner kick with 90 seconds left. A shot from
Olivia Cushman led to two more Gator corners in the final minute, but Allegheny couldn't find the net, and went into the half with a one-goal deficit.
As was the case in the first half, the Red Dragons were strong coming out of the intermission, taking a 2-0 lead on a header by Jessica Lyden following a corner kick in the 46th minute, before adding their third goal of the game just 35 seconds later on a Jess Downin goal. Seven minutes later, an Allegheny foul set up an Oneonta free kick deep in Gator territory, and Oneonta's Aver Serfis sent the direct kick home into the lower 90 to make it 4-0 with 38 minutes left to play.
Play would even out over the final 30 minutes of action, but the Red Dragon defense limited the Gator scoring chances down the stretch, surrendering just two shots over the remainder of the match to seal the shutout win.
Lynch finished with five saves in 58 minutes in goal, while
Christina Gallagher played the final 32 minutes for the Gators, stopping both shots sent her way. The Red Dragons limited the Gators to just five shots on the day, with two coming from Augustine.
The Gators will look to get back in the win column when they return to action on Wed. Sept. 23, facing off against Pitt-Bradford at 4:30 p.m. in their home opener at the Robertson Athletic Complex.
