CORTLAND, NY – The Cortland women's lacrosse team used a 15-0 scoring run during the first and second quarters to take control in a 20-5 home victory over Buffalo State in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day. Cortland moves to 12-3 (8-0 SUNYAC) with its eighth straight win, while Buffalo State falls to 9-6 (4-4 SUNYAC).
 
With the victory, coupled with a victory by Oswego over New Paltz in other SUNYAC action, the Red Dragons clinched a bye into the semifinals of the upcoming SUNYAC tournament. Cortland will face Oswego in a winner-take-all for the conference regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament on Wednesday at 4 p.m. on Grady Field.
 
Emma Dempsey (Brewerton/Paul V. Moore) posted a career-high seven goals in the victory, while Brooke Elizalde (Ronkonkoma/Connetquot) also registered a career-high eight points on two goals and six assists.
 
Ashley Melillo (Massapequa) added four goals, two caused turnovers, and five ground balls, and Sydney Elizalde (Ronkonkoma/Connetquot) finished with three goals and an assist. Both Taylor Mullins (Penn Yan/Penn Yan Academy) and Lexi Caron (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius) caused two turnovers for the Cortland defense.
 
Kira Grzechowiak and Vanessa Willick each two goals for Buffalo State, while Emilee Josker contributed a goal and an assist. Moira Penot played the second half in goal for Buffalo State, making seven saves and allowing just four goals.
 
After a pair of saves by Buffalo State starting goalkeeper Brielle Lum on Cortland's first two offensive possessions of the game, the Bengals took a 1-0 lead with 9:14 remaining on a goal by Willick.
 
Cortland quickly responded with a goal by Sydney Elizalde, assisted by Chelsey Weber (Holtsville/Sachem East) less than a minute later, and added a goal by Dempsey and two goals by Melillo in just over a minute of game action, to take a 4-1 lead.
 
Brooke Elizalde scored a pair of goals in a 30-second span with around five minutes left in the quarter, and Cortland stretched its lead to 10-1 after one period with two goals by Dempsey and one goal each by Sydney Elizalde and Melillo in the final three minutes of the frame.
 
The Red Dragons continued their scoring run with five straight goals to begin the second quarter, two more goals by Dempsey to bring her total to five, and a goal each by Kristen Javenes (North Rockland), Sierra Natoli (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker), and Sydney Elizalde with 4:29 remaining in the half. Two of the five goals for Cortland during the run were player-up goals after a pair of green cards on the Bengals.
 
Grzechowiak stopped the Cortland run briefly with a free-position goal with under three minutes left in the period, but Dempsey added her sixth goal of the game in the final seconds of the half to give the Red Dragons a 16-2 edge at the intermission.
 
Dempsey chipped in her seventh goal of the game early in the third quarter, another player-up goal for the Red Dragons, but the Bengals answered when Grzechowiak tallied her second goal of the game a few minutes later.
 
The Red Dragons added a player-up goal by Campbell Hewlett (Churchville/Churchville Chili) and Melillo's fourth goal of the game over the rest of the quarter to take a 19-3 lead into the final frame. Brooke Elizalde provided an assist on all three of the Cortland goals in the period.
 
Alyssa Leotta (Dix Hills/Half Hollow Hills West) gave Cortland its largest lead of the contest at 20-3 only 1:24 into the final quarter, assisted by Chloe Kniskern (Burnt Hills/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake). The Bengals tallied the final two goals of the contest, one each by Josker and Willick, to create the final 20-5 margin.
 
Prior to the contest, Cortland honored its three seniors – Dempsey, Weber, and Rachel Rempe (Aquebogue/Riverhead) – along with a senior gift from the coaching staff.