Women's Soccer | 11/4/2016 10:23:00 AM

ONEONTA, NY – The drought is over. Hartwick women's soccer, after spending the last 13 seasons on hiatus from the Empire 8 Conference playoffs, will make a return trip for the first time since 2002 beginning Saturday afternoon. The Hawks face a tall task as they face host Stevens Institute of Technology (16-1), the ninth ranked team in the country, at De Baun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, NJ at noon.
           
The Ducks boast a high-powered offense that is averaging 4.06 goals per game, good enough for fourth in all of Division III women's soccer. They have scored at least five goals in seven of 17 matches, including nine in a pair of wins and eight in another. Despite the intimidating numbers, Hartwick is one of the few teams to frustrate the Ducks, holding them to just a 1-0 game back on September 17. The Hawks are one of just three teams this season to keep them to one goal or less.
           
Third-year Hartwick head coach Brian Gordon, who has led the Hawks to back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 1991 and 1992, thought his side played a solid game in the first meeting with the Ducks. But he's convinced the Hawks are a much better team than seven weeks ago.
           
"We were very organized and tough to break down," Gordon stated. "We got behind the ball pretty quickly, we pressured them well in groups, and there was no real defensive breakdowns. We were happy but our team has improved dramatically."
           
Not only did the Hawks limit the Ducks' chances that day, but they also got forward and generated opportunities.
           
"We had two very tight offside calls, one of which hit the post and we were clear through on the other," added Gordon. "In addition, we had two very dangerous corners that their goalkeeper had to claw away. Between those opportunities and the goal they scored on a second-chance corner, there weren't many clear cut chances between us."
           
The Hawks boast four players - Rachel Weir (New Milford, CT/New Milford), Madison Miller (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta), Allie Ricci (Millstone, NJ/Saint John Vianney), and Ashley Connolly (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) - who have scored five goals or more this season.
           
Weir leads the way with seven tallies with Ricci adding five. The pair have combined to register seven game-winning goals. Miller has six goals to her credit, five of which coming on corners from the foot of Sierra Bentley (Worcester, NY/Schenevus), the Hawks' all-time leader in assists. Her program record 12 helpers in 2016 leads the Empire 8 and is tied for 12^th in the nation. Casey Boucher (Northbridge, MA/Northbridge) has also contributed to the team's offense in the central midfield with three goals and two assists, and senior goalkeeper Megan McGillycuddy (Glenville, NY/Scotia-Glenville) ranks fourth in the league in both goals against average (0.74) and save percentage (.851) in over 1,343 minutes played.
           
The Ducks are paced by All-American forward Raba Nassif. With 21 goals and 11 assists on the season, she ranks fourth nationally in both goals per game (1.24) and points per game (3.06). All-Region forward and reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Zisi Komar adds 14 goals and eight assists to the offensive weaponry, with Julia Panko (9g, 8a) and Gabby Mathelier (8g, 5a) also contributing.
           
"They are very good going forward. They can score from distance, from set-pieces, and from close range. It's going to be a matter of us being organized again and reading the flow of the game. If Stevens doesn't score early, I think it's going to be a very tight game, even tighter than the first. If they do score early, it might be a struggle for us to get back into it. The longer the game goes on, the better it is for us."
           
Second-seeded Nazareth plays third-seeded Ithaca in the second semifinal on Saturday at 3 p.m. The championship match between the two semifinal winners is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m from De Baun. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament. The field will be announced on Monday. The Hawks are two results away from the program's sixth tournament appearance and first in 26 years.
             
To follow all of this weekend's action, visit the tournament page at: http://stevensducks.com/sports/2016/10/5/2016-empire-8-womens-soccer-championship.aspx.