Nazareth rally stuns Stevens, 3-2
UTICA, N.Y. -- Third-seeded Nazareth scored twice in the last eight minutes of the game Saturday to rally past second-seeded Stevens to take a 3-2 field hockey victory over the Ducks in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament at Utica's Gaetano Stadium.
The win was the fourth in a row for the Golden Flyers, who improved to 7-11 overall and will now get a crack at the E8 title Sunday at noon against Washington & Jefferson. The Presidents knocked off top-seeded Utica, 4-2, in the other E8 semifinal match.
"We just totally picked it up in the second half," said Nazareth Coach Andrea Tutino. "We were smarter with the ball and used our speed to pick up the pace."
Down 2-0 after Stevens converted a penalty stroke in the opening minute of the second half, Nazareth staged a dramatic rally behind unanswered goals from Alexis Root, Elise Maryanopolis and finally Tessa Knapp.
Knapp's goal was her team-leading eighth of the season and came with 4:09 to play off an assist from Root. Knapp beat Stevens goalie Krysten Suarez on the right side for the winning score after taking Root's pass and breaking in alone on goal.
After Stevens went up 2-0 on Samantha Weisman's penalty stroke goal, Root put Nazareth on the board less than a minute later with her sixth goal of the season as she converted a crossing pass from Knapp. Nazareth still trailed until the 63rd minute when Maryanopolis scored her second goal of the season off another assist from Root.
That set the stage for Knapp's game-winner, which enabled the Golden Flyers to avenge a 5-3 regular-season loss to Stevens on Oct. 8. Freshman Sophia Rhoades played all 70 minutes in goal and was especially sharp in the second half when she made seven of her 11 saves. Nazareth also got a key defensive save from junior Alex Bracy shortly after Maryanopolis' goal had tied the score.
Against Washington & Jefferson, Nazareth will be seeking its second conference title and first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. The Golden Flyers defeated the Presidents, 2-0, at home back on Oct. 15.