Nazareth edges Elmira; Ithaca Beats Houghton
NAZARETH 4, ELMIRA 3 (OT)
Nazareth defeated visiting Elmira 4-3 in overtime in Wednesday's Empire 8 field hockey contest. Sophomore
Maggie Namy scored the game-winning goal with 5:45 left in the first overtime session. Junior
Catherine Willard scored the Golden Flyers' three other goals. With their goals, Namy has three on the season, and Willard has a team-high nine.
Following the victory, Nazareth improves to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in conference games. With the loss, the Soaring Eagles drop to 1-7 overall and 0-3 in Empire 8 contests.
On the game-winning goal, Willard sent a pass through the slot toward the left side of the goal to Namy. Namy's shot beat Elmira's goalie Julie Hockenberger to end the game with just under six minutes to play in the first overtime session. Each team had multiple scoring chances in the extra stanza before Namy's goal. Elmira's offense had several chances in transition, but the Golden Flyers' defenders forced turnovers or slowed the Elmira attack. The Golden Flyers had a few chances in front of the Soaring Eagles' goal, but they were unable to connect on passes in front of the goal.
Willard scored Nazareth's first three goals. Willard's first gave the Golden Flyers a 1-0 lead 19:27 into the game after she collected the rebound from a shot by junior
Maggie Muzio. Muzio used a transition opportunity to take the initial shot, and she was credited with an assist on the goal. Elmira answered with a pair of goals before the end of the first half to claim a one-goal lead at the break. The first goal, by Alison Mariano, followed a scrum in front of the Nazareth goal. Mariano received a pass across the goal mouth from Alli Gilbert. Sarah McCaffrey found the back of the Nazareth goal with one second to play in the period to give Elmira its lone lead of the game. The Soaring Eagles' Atupele Machika's first shot hit the post, and McCaffrey knocked the rebound past the Golden Flyers' goalie,
Shannon Winney.
Willard's second goal, only minutes into the second half, followed a penalty corner opportunity. Sophomore
Kailee Coleman played the ball into Muzio, and Muzio slid a pass to Willard who buried a shot into Elmira's goal. With about 22 minutes to play in regulation, Willard reclaimed the Golden Flyers' lead. In transition, senior
Sibongile Chisi passed the ball to Willard. Willard took a couple of steps before putting a shot past Hockenberger.
Nazareth's 3-2 lead was short lived, however, as Elmira took advantage of a penalty corner less than three minutes later. Alli Gilbert took the initial shot, and Katie Carroll scored on the rebound.
The Golden Flyers outshot Elmira 25-12 over the course of the game and finished with a 9-7 advantage in penalty corner chances. Winney recorded six saves for Nazareth to earn the victory, and Hockenberger had 12 saves in the loss.
ITHACA 2, HOUGHTON 0
The Ithaca College field hockey team (3-4, 1-1 Empire 8) remained perfect in home games this season and defeated Houghton 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Higgins Stadium. The visiting Highlanders are 2-7 overall and 0-3 in conference games. Ithaca has won all three of its home games this year, all of them by shutout.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Katie Lass made two saves to earn her second shutout of the season.
Danielle Coiro, a senior forward, scored a goal in each half. Both plays were assisted by sophomore
Cassie Schuttrumpf set up both goals with passes from the right side of the arc, that Coiro finished from close range right in front of the net.
The Ithaca defense held off a string of penalty corners by the Highlanders in the game's closing minutes. The Bombers held a 23-6 advantage in shots.
Cabrini 6, STEVENS 2
Sophomore
Taylor Welch and freshman
Victoria Alvarez tallied goals, but the Stevens Institute of Technology fell by a score of 6-2 Wednesday afternoon at Cabrini College.
The Ducks drop to 4-5 on the season, while Cabrini improves to 4-3.
After 15-plus minutes of scoreless hockey to start the contest, Cabrini was able to score four times over the final 19:58 of the first half to take control of the contest.
Junior Kerry Anne Farrell scored goals one, three and four for the Cavaliers as the hosts ended the first half with a 13-0 margin in shots – with 12 being put on goal. Stevens' goal
Emily Stukenborg was able to make eight stops in the first period and 13 for the game but it was not enough for the Ducks.
Stevens came out in the second half with strong energy, getting on the board when junior
Angela Bauroth assisted Welch's fifth goal of the season.
Cabrini was able to answer when Farrell tallied her fourth of the game, but Alvarez recorded her eighth of the year to pull Stevens within three with 20:22 on the clock. The Cavaliers, however, came right back and tallied less than three minutes later for the final margin of 6-2.
Cabrini ended the matchup with a 23-8 lead in shots and a 9-6 margin in penalty corners.