BOONE, NC – Sun Belt Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year Jamie O’Grady (Falkirk, Scotland/Falkirk) scored in the 67^th minute as the Hartwick Hawks defeated Appalachian State 1-0 on Friday night in the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Semifinals at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex in Boone, NC.
            O’Grady put a shot from in close into the roof of the goal following a perfect pass across from Dean Fowler (Sydney, Australia/Colo). Wyatt Scott (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) also earned a helper on the play.
            Freshman of the Year Lenny Wilson (Aberdeen, Scotland/Cults Academy) made three difficult saves in the second half for the Hawks. He finished with four stops in the match.
            The victory sends the Hawks to their second straight Sun Belt Conference Championship match which takes place Sunday at 1 p.m. against #2 seed Georgia State. The Panthers battled back from a 3-0 first-half deficit to tie the score at 3-3 with Georgia Southern. They won in a shootout 5-4 to advance.
            “Making it back to the championship for the second year in a row is a great achievement,” said victorious Hartwick head coach John Scott. “Tonight Lenny lived up to his Freshman of the Year award and Jamie did the same for his Player of the Year award with the goal.”
            The Hawks had the better of the chances in the first half of play. Jack Donaldson (Paisley, Scotland/Mars Hill University) had the Hawks’ first opportunity with just under 27 minutes remaining in the first half with a free kick over the bar from 22 yards away.
            The Mountaineers had their best chance of the half five minutes later after Raheem Somersall struck the bar with a floater over Wilson’s head.
            The Hawks generated a few chances in the final 15 minutes of the half. Following a 50-yard run from Marc Berry (Galashiels, Scotland/Galashiels Academy), he laid the ball off for O’Grady just inside the Mountaineer penalty area. O’Grady’s low shot just slipped past the far post.

            The best chance for either team in the half came with under a minute left. A ball from the far side-line was won by O’Grady at the top of the box. He collected it, took a touch, and fired, but App goalkeeper Jake Chasteen charged out to close down O’Grady’s angle and made a huge save to keep the game level.
            In the second half, App State had two chances right in a row. Leading scorer Stephen Chapman rifled a left-footed shot on goal from 25 yards away which forced a diving save from Wilson. The ball traveled to the sideline where it was served back in. Chapman was on the doorstep but his header went wide.
            Four minutes later, Wilson was called upon again. A Mountaineer header forced a fingertip save over the bar. Eleven minutes after that, Daniel Avila’s free kick from 23 yards was punched away by the Hartwick freshman.
            O’Grady finally broke the tie at 66:53. A ball from Wyatt Scott was over the top of the App State back line to the right of the box to Fowler. He had time to deliver a perfect ball on the ground through the box for O’Grady who finished from eight yards away.
            The last chance for the Mountaineers to tie it came with two minutes showing on the clock. They had a free kick just over midfield that skimmed through the Hartwick penalty area and out of bounds.
            Hartwick finished the match with a 9-8 edge in shots. App State took five corners to the Hawks’ three.
            John Scott also praised the play of Mike Rood (Conklin, NY/Susquehanna Valley) up top. “He secured the ball, he was strong, he linked play, and he allowed us to get numbers forward. It was an excellent performance.”
            Next up for the Hawks is Georgia State, who the Hawks beat 1-0 on Elmore Field on October 24.
            “It’s a tough game ahead of us as Georgia State is a quality side with plenty of character as we saw today.”
            Kickoff is Sunday at 1 p.m. at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex with the championship and NCAA playoff berth at stake.

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