Final Score: Hartwick 2, Sage 0
 
Venue: Albany, NY – ACPHS Turf and Track Complex
 
Records: Hartwick (9-7-1, 5-3 E8); Sage (9-6-2, 3-3-1 E8)
 
Recap: Hartwick got the early goal it needed and tacked on an extra tally deep in the second half as the Hawks blanked Sage on Tuesday night in Albany 2-0. The win clinches the Hawks' third straight Empire 8 playoff berth. Rachel Weir (New Milford, CT/New Milford) got the first-half goal for 'Wick at 15:52. Gabrielle Kreppein (Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) had the ball on the end line and played a short ball across the front of the Gators' goal. Weir was first to it and she tucked a ball into the near side of the goal for the lead. The Hawks had other chances later in the half to extend their advantage. Madison Miller (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) had a header off a Kiley Richardson (Flanders, NJ/Roxbury) corner kick that she just got under and pushed over the bar. Seconds later, Courtney Velho (Derry, NH/Pinkerton Academy) smoked a long-range shot just wide of the Sage goal. The Gators pressured the Hawks early in the second half. Cassandra Robataille (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) saved a powerful blast from the outside and followed up the rebound shot with another save. Kreppein would provide the Hawks' insurance goal with just over 11 minutes remaining. She turned with the ball at the top of the 18 and fired high over Gator keeper Emma Augustine for her team-best seventh goal of the season. The Gators threatened late but again Robataille was up to the task. She robbed Kristen Silk on the doorstep to preserve the team's eighth clean sheet of the season and her seventh of the campaign.
 
Up Next: Hartwick gets some much needed rest as it is off for the next nine days until the Empire 8 Conference semifinals which will take place on Friday, November 2 at top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology. The Hawks are currently second in the standings and can finish no lower than the third seed. The tournament field will be compete following the end of the regular season on Saturday.