On the shoulders of two players, the Buffalo State women’s soccer team got the win in their first home SUNYAC game of the season against Fredonia, 3-0.

Freshman goaltender Taylor Carillo has now gone 439 minutes and 55 seconds without allowing a goal. It’s all part of a run of four games where the Bengals kept a 0 on the opponent’s goal column. She’s been a pivotal player on the team.

On the offensive end, it’s been about the scoring abilities of Melissa Smith.

The senior forward is tied for second in the SUNYAC with 17 points in 10 games this season (seven goals and three assists). She tallied two of those on Saturday.

The Bengals dominated early on. The first shot of the game came within the first three minutes on the leg of junior midfielder Victoria Colotti. In the 10th minute, Blue Devils’ forward Kaitlyn Huyler got past the back line and shot, but Carillo covered up the five hole and made the save. A few minutes before the half, in the midst of a scramble, Smith headed the ball, but it hit the crossbar and went out of play.

Despite Buffalo State leading in the shot category 12-3 at the half, the two teams headed into the break scoreless.

“The half-time message was pretty simple,” said Buffalo State head coach Nick DeMarsh. “We fixed a few tactical issues and ramped up the intensity of our counter-press, and that did the trick.”

The scoreless draw didn’t last long into the second half. Sophomore defender Alexis Carillo did a flip throw-in and the ball was headed backward toward the middle of the box by freshman midfielder Jada Sargeant, then put home by Smith.

Smith wasn’t done.

Five minutes later, senior forward Catherine Mammoser found space and crossed it perfectly to Smith near the far post, who easily headed it in for her second goal of the game.

The final goal came in the 73rd minute when junior defender Breanna Knight was able to cross the ball and found Lindsay Mahoney. The junior forward was able to head it in for her first goal of the season.

Back line play has been a strength for Buffalo State. Senior Kristin Seiferth, Knight, Alexis Carillo and sophomore Hind Alamari have been a wall. In the second half, they didn’t let anything past them and prevented any shots on net.

“We’re still very young in the back and have to work on communication and being able to trust one another,” Smith said. “We’re so much better than the beginning of the season, so it will come around full-circle for us.”

With the victory, the Bengals are now unbeaten in five straight games (4-0-). Last season, the Bengals posted an unbeaten streak of 15 straight games. That streak that ended in a SUNYAC champtionship loss to Oneonta.

“(Last season’s team was) that special. I doubt we will see a run like that again,” DeMarsh said.

Next on the schedule for the Bengals (7-1-2/3-0-0) is a home game against the Allegheny Gators (3-5-1/0-1-0) on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. in non-conference play.

Buffalo State will have a slate of games at home, starting with the Oswego Lakers (4-3-3/1-2-1) on Friday at 3 p.m. and finishing up with The Cortland Red Dragons (7-3-0/3-1-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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