Red Dragon Battle Concludes
February 9th, 2016 was a day for both SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cortland to display their maximum potentials, both individually and as a team; in hopes to claim the victory of the Battle of the Red Dragons.
Before the game even started, both teams knew that it would be a close one. Both men's teams shared a similar record and had a true understanding that they would be battling it out without any promise for a win. With Oneonta Women's Basketball conquering SUNY Cortlands Women's team, the pressure was even stronger for the men's team to close the battle with a double win for Oneonta.
Oneonta Alumni Field House was filled with energized, excited fans- but without any question, the home bleachers were packed with not only more fans than the opposing team, but more love and support than we've seen in a long time from a student body. There were other sports teams there to show their athletic pride, as well as students and families of all ages decked out in Oneonta gear and accessories to amp up the people around them.
After speaking to the fans around me, i realized that we all shared the common belief that regardless of the outcome of the game- we are the real Red Dragons. The fans truly enjoyed the energy that the game brought to the field house, as well as the unity they were all able to feel as a student body.
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| SUNY Oneonta Baseball player, Jimmy McCarty. (c) Krystal Herbstman, Feb 9th, 2016. |
Jimmy McCarty, an Oneonta Baseball player states that "I came here and i watched the women's game and i was very impressed, and the energy that i got from that game really brought me into the second game and i was really feeling it. High energy, high octate, lot of volume and i was pumped. The energy was through the roof, its a great day to be a Red Dragon."
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| SUNY Oneonta fan, Douglas Quatrale. (c) Krystal Herbstman. Feb 9th, 2016. |
Douglas Quatrale, a SUNY Oneonta student mentioned, "It was a really tough game, it was a tough loss for Oneonta. I think the players were under a lot of pressure since they were rivals tonight. I was really excited to see one of my housemates manage the team- but hopefully we'll win next time. I am a true red dragon fan.
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| SUNY Oneonta Mens Basketball Student Assistant, James Holmes (c) OneontaAthletics.com |
I was able to speak with someone who experienced the game from a deeper perspective and was able to give us some insight on how the team felt. Student Assistant, James Holmes proclaimed that "Tonight was a big disappointment for the team. We had a great turnout from the student body, but we didn't perform to our maximum potential. Defensively we did a solid job, but our offense struggled, particularly shooting the ball from the field. We definitely thought that we beat ourselves in tonights affair against Cortland. Nonetheless, we have to move forward and lock up a playoff spot in the SUNYACC championship".
Although the battle of the Men's Basketball Red Dragons ended in an unfortunate loss against SUNY Cortland, they are using the defeat as extra motivation for their upcoming games, as well as for the domination of SUNY Cortland next year. Despite the close game that ended in a loss, SUNY Oneonta proved why we are the true red dragons by our amazing fan support and excitement that was brought to our home court, Alumni Field House.
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