Utica Defeats #15 U of R in OT
Senior
Hannah Mackey scored just 1:24 into overtime as the Utica College field hockey team downed nationally-ranked No. 15 University of Rochester, 2-1, in non-conference action Wednesday evening.
This marks the second ranked opponent the Pioneers have defeated this season as Utica also topped then-ranked No. 3 Skidmore College 4-1 on Sept. 21. The Pioneers improve to 14-1 on the season and extend their program-best winning streak to 12 games, which is currently the longest streak in Division III. The win comes hours after Rochester was selected as the No. 1 team in the North Atlantic Region in the first NCAA regional rankings of the year. Skidmore was ranked second in the region, followed by SUNY Cortland, and Utica was ranked fourth.
The Pioneers controlled most of the play in the first half, outshooting the home team 13-2, however neither team was able to find the back of the net. U of R finally broke the deadlock in the 47th minute as Megan Keil tallied her sixth goal of the year off a rebound. The Pioneers battled back as senior
Louise Steele-Norton evened the score at 51:28 with her 12th goal of the season and fourth in the last three games.
Neither team could score the go-ahead in the final 18 minutes resulting in the extra frame. Mackey's tally was her nation-leading 30th tally of the year as she extended her goal scoring streak to 12 games. Junior
Colleen Dowling assisted on the play. Freshman
Samantha Whitehouse made six saves to pick up her fourth win of the year, while her counterpart, Tara Lamberti made 14 saves in the loss.
Utica outshot the Yellow Jackets 25-13 on the day and held a 14-10 advantage in penalty corners.
The Pioneers return to action Saturday as they host RPI. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.