Grace Auer (arm up, white jersey) assisted on the Devils' second goal (photo by Becca Torncello).
Fredonia State qualified for the SUNYAC women's soccer tournament with a 2-0 victory Saturday afternoon over Oneonta.
Annie Gondek scored in the 27th minute and Katie Sellers added insurance in the 61st minute while Abby Szymkowiak made three saves for the shutout.
The Blue Devils finished the SUNYAC regular season with a 5-4-0 record (10-7-0 overall), good for 14 points and a three-way tie for fourth place. Fredonia State earned the No. 4 seed by virtue of tiebreakers and will play host to Buffalo State next Saturday.
It'll mark the program's first SUNYAC tournament appearance since 2021 and its first home playoff game since 2014.
The Blue Devils grabbed a 1-0 lead to the delight of the University Stadium crowd when Gondek, just into the game, pounced on a loose ball in the goal crease after Sellers and Oneonta goalkeeper Bryanna Meehan collided in mid-air while playing on a high cross into the box by Kerrigan Driskell. It was the second goal of the season for Gondek and her first game-winner.
The insurance goal by Sellers was her team-leading sixth of the season and came on a header following a corner kick from Grace Auer. The duo nearly connected on a similar play later in the second half, only to have Meehan deflect the shot off the cross bar for one of her seven saves.
Szymkowiak preserved her seventh shutout of the season when, in the 81st minute, she smothered a bouncing shot by Oneonta's Gianna Hanner from inside the 18-yard line.
Prior to the game, five Blue Devils were honored as part of the Senior Day celebration: Sellers, Auer, Maddie Payne, Jenna Tenney, and Jenna Hewitt. A junior, Hewitt will graduate a year early.
The Devils will play host to No. 5 seed Buffalo State next Saturday, Nov. 2 in the first round of the tournament. Prior to that, they close out their regular season with a non-conference match Tuesday at Chatham.
