HOBOKEN, NJ – Hartwick field hockey fell a goal short to Washington & Jefferson (8-7) on Saturday in the Empire 8 Semifinals played at Stevens Institute of Technology. The victory for the third-seeded Presidents sends them into tomorrow's final against the host Ducks, who earned a 5-0 win over Ithaca earlier in the day. The Hawks, who now stand at 11-7, will learn their postseason fate on Monday with the announcement of the NCAA and ECAC Tournament brackets.
The game's only goal came 17 minutes into the second half as Jennifer Marabello tallied her team-leading eighth goal of the season. She took a pass from teammate Erin Barno and beat Hartwick goalie Mackenzie Chapman (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) for the 1-0 edge. The Presidents had maintained pressure on the Hartwick defense in the second half taking six straight shots and five penalty corners prior to the goal.
Following the goal, Hartwick was unable to get any quality scoring chances until the final five minutes of the match. Senior Morgan Cestari (Lake Grove, NY/Centereach) took a pair of penalty corners which both generated Hartwick opportunities. The first corner went to junior Amanda Barton (Endwell, NY/Greene) whose blast from the left side was kicked away by W&J keeper Roslyn Reynoso. The second 'Wick corner with just over four minutes left found its way to Murphy at the top of the circle. Her rocket was also stopped by Reynoso in what would be 'Wick's final shot of the day.
Reynoso ended the day with five saves. Chapman stopped two. W&J edged the Hawks in shots (11-10) and held a wide margin in corners (15-5).
Today's loss marks the third straight season W&J has knocked Hartwick out of the conference playoffs. The Presidents won 1-0 in 2007 in the semifinals and 2-0 last year in the same round.
