Link to live stats of game
Two more wins are all that is needed for the Oneonta State field hockey to qualify for the 2011 NCAA Div. III tournament. The first obstacle is New Paltz as the two meet tomorrow in the semifinals of the SUNYAC tournament hosted by top-seeded Cortland. The game is scheduled for a 1:30pm start with the winner advancing to the championship game on Saturday at 1pm versus the winner of the Cortland/Geneseo game being played at 11am tomorrow.
The Red Dragons are having its best season in nearly a decade as they enter the tournament 13-6 overall. Oneonta finished 4-2 in the SUNYAC and earned the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament after not qualifying a year ago. This is the second year that the SUNYAC is holding a conference tournament and the first year that the winner will receive an NCAA automatic berth. Last year Geneseo defeated Cortland in the conference championship game.
In its regular season contest against New Paltz on Sep. 16, Oneonta defeated the Hawks in overtime, 3-2. Freshman
Andrea Day (Greene/Greene) (Greene/Greene) scored the game-winner in the second overtime for the Red Dragons.
Oneonta has relied on a potent offensive attack this fall that has produced 56 goals, which is just under three goals per game. The 56 goals is tops in the conference. The Red Dragons have five players who have registered double-digits in points thus far. Junior
Megan Warning (Lake Peeksill/Putnam Valley) (Lake Peekskill/Putnam Valley) leads this quintet with a SUNYAC best 18 goals.
Warning, who is second in the conference with 39 points, has scored at least one goal in 12 of Oneonta's 19 games this season. She has four multiple goal games and has tallied two game-winners.
Rounding out the group is senior
Jacqueline Camp (Queensbury/Queensbury) (Queensbury/Queensbury), juniors
Ashley Morgan (Putnam Valley/Putnam Valley) (Putnam Valley/Putnam Valley) and
Ashley Johnson (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs) (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs) and Day.
Morgan leads the team with 10 assists and is second with 32 points. She is third in the conference in points and has four game-winning goals this fall.
Day is having a tremendous rookie season with 18 points and four game-winning goals. Johnson is second on the team with eight assists and is fourth on the team with 16 points. Camp has 11 points and a team leading three defensive saves.
Oneonta has never won a SUNYAC championship in field hockey, but has been to the NCAA tournament three times previously. The last time the Red Dragons played in the NCAA tournament was 1992.
