by Chris Detwiler
Even with the Farmingdale State College logo on the field, it was Cortland State College fans who filled the stands on Friday night March 15 to see their Red Devils defeat the Rams 16-7.
“It was a great game for us,” said Cortland head coach Steve Beville. “I’m glad we came out with the win.
Cortland State senior Joey Panariello led all scorers with five goals on nine shots. He also recorded an assist.
“[Panariello] was fantastic today,” Beville said. “When [he] runs hard, he’s one of the best players in the country. There’s a reason he’s going to be a four-time All-American.”
Classmate Terrence Haggerty also contributed with four goals, three of which came in the first eight minutes of the game.
“[Haggerty] is a great scorer,” Beville said. “And he hasn’t even come close to playing as well as he can.”
The Red Devils won 23 of the 27 faceoffs, including all but one in the first half.
“I think the biggest key today was the faceoff wins,” Beville said. “Winning all those faceoffs got us possession – tired their defense out. We had the ball a ton.”
“Having the ball a lot makes a huge difference in how many shots you take,” he added. “And how many shots you take – you’re going to score more goals.”
Junior Brian Williams took a majority of the faceoffs for the Red Devils.
“I think it’s Williams’ hard work,” Beville said. “He’s gotten better in different ways. I attribute it to his blue-collar work ethic.”
Cortland State (3-2) wasted no time in this contest, scoring two goals in the first two minutes of the game, both coming from Haggerty.
Panariello scored a minute and a half later off a behind-the-back shot that snuck by the Rams’ goaltender.
Farmingdale State’s (3-3) first offensive possession didn’t come until they were down 3-0 with about 11 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Red Devils kept the petal to the metal, scoring six goals in the opening quarter and six more in the second quarter. They led 12-3 at the break.
Second-half scoring did not begin until there was less than six minutes on the clock when Panariello scored from his knees after being knocked down by a defender.
The Red Devils continued to dominate in the circle all night, boosting them to the nine-goal victory.
