Sunyac championship semifinals #4 Buffalo State Bengals vs. #1 Plattsburgh State Cardinals
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026
4 p.m.
Fieldhouse Complex – Plattsburgh, N.Y.
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Last time out
Last time out, Lesedi Sekhobo (Albany, N.Y./Shaker) and Jay Kitcher (Newcastle, Australia/St. Phillips Christian) each scored as the #4 Buffalo State men's soccer team took down the #5 Fredonia Blue Devils, 2-0, to advance to the SUNYAC Championship semifinals.
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Goalkeeper Carson Smith (Big Flats, N.Y./Horseheads) made four saves in net, keeping the Bengals in the game throughout and securing the shutout victory over the Blue Devils.
In an intense "Battle by the Lake" rematch, the Bengals broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute, taking the lead. While the Blue Devils looked for an answer throughout the remainder of the first half, the Bengals defense and Smith kept the Blue Devils off the scoreboard and went into halftime with their one-goal lead intact.
Exiting the halftime break, the Blue Devils started their attack to find the equalizer, but the Bengals maintained their form on the defensive end, making life tough on their rival. The sharp play from the Bengals was rewarded in the 76th minute, as the Bengals scored the silencer goal, taking a two-goal lead all the way to the finish and advancing to the SUNYAC Championship semifinals.
The matchup and how we got here
For the fourth consecutive season, the #4 Buffalo State Bengals, 11-3-3 (5-1-2 SUNYAC), advance to the SUNYAC Championship semifinals with their opponent being the #1 Plattsburgh State Cardinals.
This will be the Bengals' first meeting with the Cardinals since the SUNYAC's expansion split the conference into divisions for the 2026 season. The Bengals are 9-25-2 against the Cardinals all time, but hold a 3-0-2 record since 2021.
The winner of this semifinal matchup will advance to the SUNYAC Championship Final, with location and opponent to be determined.
Last time we met
The last time these two sides met was last season, when the Bengals and the Cardinals drew, 1-1, with the Bengals using the draw to secure a top-two seed in the SUNYAC Championship playoffs.
Team effort powering Bengals
A look into the Bengals' stat book provides insight into the product on the field: teamwork. So far this season, 13 different Bengals have registered a goal, with four different Bengals tallying double-digit points. These are the most since the 2024 season, a season in which the Bengals made the deepest run in school history.
Leading the pack for the Bengals is Lesedi Sekhobo with 18 points (seven goals and four assists), with Zaccaria Gerosa (New York, N.Y./U. of Nebraska HS) right behind him with 17 points (seven goals and three assists).
Defensively, the Bengals have locked in on the back end, making chances tough on their opponents throughout the season. While goalkeepers Carson Smith and Adrian Contreras (Madrid, Spain/Hipatia Fuhem) get the praise for allowing only 14 goals this season, major credit must be given to the Bengals' defenders. Mainstays like Stephen Haven (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Cheektowaga) and Kris Godoy (North Babylon, N.Y./St. Anthony's) have provided the veteran presence along the backline, while newcomer Jeff Horvat (Montreal, Quebec/Loyola) has added the size and finesse that make the Bengals an offense's nightmare.
A look at Plattsburgh
The Cardinals enter the SUNYAC Championship semifinals as the top seed, finishing with the best record in the East Division at 10-3-3 (7-0-1 SUNYAC) and earning a double bye through the first two rounds of the SUNYAC Championship.
The Cardinals are led offensively by the dynamic duo of Xavier Kamba and Tristan Laundree. Kamba leads the way with 25 points (eight goals and nine assists), and Laundree follows with 20 points (six goals and eight assists).
The Cardinals are also strong on the defensive end, sitting in a tie for second in the SUNYAC for fewest goals allowed with 13. Goalkeeper Matthew D'Ippolito is tough to get by, as he's racked up a .809 save percentage, allowing just one goal since Oct. 10.
