ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta field hockey team fell to Ithaca, 2-0, in non-conference play Wednesday evening at All College Field. The road team gave themselves the lead in the second period then scored the insurance goal during the third. Senior
Maura Leib (East Syracuse, N.Y./East Syracuse Minoa) finished the game with 17 saves as the Red Dragons moved to 8-7 overall and the Bombers improved to 12-5 this season.
Possession went back and forth in the opening period with Oneonta recording the only shots on goal. Junior
Abigail Draper (Remsen, NY/Holland Patent) had the first look at the cage when she received the ball off a penalty corner. After Draper's shot was saved, senior
Molly Miller (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) crashed the net for the bounce back, but her shot was also stopped by Ithaca's keeper, Abby Cannon.
In the final minute of the first quarter, junior
Alexandra Howell (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) knocked down the Bombers clear attempt, and Miller sprinted for the ball inside the shooting circle. She gathered control of the ball and went to the cage for a shot attempt that Cannon slid in front of to stop. At the start of the second period, Draper fired in a pass from outside the 25-yard line, and Miller was able to redirect the ball towards the goal, but Cannon kicked it out of play.
Brenna Schoenfeld got Ithaca on the board at 19:16 in the second period when she scored off the rebound of Eliza Ballaro's shot. The Bombers extended their lead to the 2-0 final at 37:09 in the third period when Ainsley Grant scored on a redirect off Payton Yahner's pass.
The Red Dragons tried to cut the lead with a couple more shots on goal off a penalty corner at 48:35. The ball was passed to Howell for the first shot on net from the right side of the shooting circle, then Miller collected the rebound for the second shot right in front of the cage, however both shots were saved by Cannon.
Leib totaled 11 of her 17 stops in the final period, while junior
Sarah Stadelmann (East Syracuse, N.Y./East Syracuse Minoa) recorded a defensive save at 51:06 in the final quarter. Cannon ended the game with six saves for Ithaca.
The Bombers outshot the Red Dragons 25-9, 20-6 on goal, and they had an 11-4 advantage in penalty corners.
Oneonta dedicated today's game to Morgan's Message, an organization, named in honor of the late former Duke Lacrosse student-athlete, Morgan Rogers. The mission for Morgan's Message strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health, normalize mental health conversations, and ensure that mental health is treated equally to physical health for every student athlete. They aim to empower those who might be struggling in silence and support those who feel alone. For more information, please visit Morgansmessage.org.
The Red Dragons wrap up the regular season on Saturday, November 1, when they host RPI at 1 pm on All College Field. Before Saturday's match starts, the team will celebrate the careers of the four Red Dragon seniors for Senior Day.
