BUFFALO, N.Y. – Cortland, ranked 12th nationally in Division III, outscored Buffalo State 11-4 in the second half to break open a tight game and defeated the Bengals, 15-5, in a SUNYAC matchup. The Red Dragons finish the regular season with a 12-3 overall record and a 7-0 league mark. Buffalo State was eliminated from SUNYAC tournament contention with the loss. The Bengals are 10-4 overall and 2-4 in the conference with one league game remaining Tuesday versus Brockport.

Cortland will host the four-team SUNYAC tournament Friday and Saturday at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex. The Red Dragons will face either Fredonia or Oneonta in a semifinal game Friday at 12:30 p.m., with Brockport and Geneseo meeting in the other semifinal to follow. The championship game will be held Saturday afternoon, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Senior Ali Bourgal (Sachem) led Cortland versus Buffalo State with four goals and four assists. Senior Jennifer Willis (Huntington/Walt Whitman) added four goals and one assist and senior Andrea Venditti (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) recorded three goals and one assist. Freshman Deanne Abell (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) made nine saves.

Meagan Powers (Pearl River) led the Bengals with one goal and one assist. Tara Ammerman (Naples/Marcus Whitman) made six saves and allowed 11 goals in 49:47, with Katie Rivers (Waterloo) making one save and allowing four goals over the final 10:13.

Cortland led 3-0 on two Willis goals sandwiched around a Venditti tally in the first 13 minutes. Powers put Buffalo State on the board with 14:39 left, but freshman Jessie Fritz (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) scored with 3:24 left and the Red Dragons led 4-1 at halftime.

Venditti's goal 1:12 into the second half and a pair of Bourgal free-position tallies pushed the lead to 7-1 with 18:39 left. Buffalo State scored two of the next three goals and was within 8-3 with 13:47 remaining, but Cortland put the game away with seven straight goals over the next 12:19. Willis had two goals and one assist and Bourgal notched one goal and two assists during that run. The Bengals scored twice in the final 54 seconds to finish the scoring.

Cortland has won 10 straight games. The Red Dragons are 59-1 in SUNYAC regular-season contests, including a 7-0 record each of the last two years, since the league adopted a complete round-robin schedule in 2000.

2007-05-01