Field Hockey | 11/1/2018 2:35:00 PM

ONEONTA, NY - The Hartwick Hawks field hockey team earned its second Empire 8 Tournament bid in three seasons, and will be taking on the nationally 18^th ranked Washington & Jefferson Presidents in their semifinal matchup this coming Friday at noon.
           
The Hawks stormed out of the gate this season, winning their first three games, as well as five of their first six, the last two of which were conference games. 'Wick then lost a pair of games to eventual Empire 8 third-place finisher Stevens and #15 Vassar, before bouncing back with a 3-2 victory over Nazareth and 4-0 shutout of Union. The Hawks finished their season like they started, winning five of their final six games, ending up fourth in the conference with a 5-3 record (12-5 overall).
           
As a team, Hartwick ended up fourth in the Empire 8 (behind the other three playoff teams) in both goals against average (1.63) and shots per game (21.25, only 1.25 behind the leader) in conference games. They were first in shots on goal per game, at 15.25, showing an ability to put balls on target. Individually, freshman Perry Willett (Huntington, VT/Mount Mansfield Union) stood out for the Hawks, leading the team in goals (13), shots (80), shots on goal (59), and tying for the lead in assists (6). She was also third in the conference games in shots with 29, and tied for seventh in goals with five. Sophomore goalkeeper Allyson Osborne (Nottingham, PA/Solanco) had a pair of in-conference shutouts, against Elmira and Sage, and five overall.
           
Senior Maria Stalder (New Woodstock, NY/Cazenovia) is second on the team in goals scored (9) and points (23) and tied for fourth in assists (5). She is also tied with Willett for most game-winning goals with three. Freshman Katie Meuse (Londonderry, NH/Londonderry) has chipped in offensively with five goals and five assists. Juniors Allyson Quirk (Longmeadow, MA/Longmeadow), Bella Wheeler (Cazenova, NY/Cazenovia) and sophomore Brooke Singer (Johnson City, NY/Maine-Endwell Sr.) also have five goals to their credit this fall. Freshmen Tegan Robinson (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) and Rebecca Peakes (West Chester, PA/Unionville) each have six assists to lead the squad along with Willett.
           
Washington & Jefferson was absolutely dominant from start to finish in 2018. They went 15-1, including a perfect 8-0 mark in the Empire 8, with their only loss coming in an upset by Juniata in their penultimate game. Defense was their key to success, as they had 12 shutouts and conceded only five goals in 16 games. The Presidents led all of Division III in goals against average, at 0.32. They were even more dominant within the Empire 8, giving up only one goal in all eight conference games, good for a 0.13 goals against average.
           
If the Presidents do have a weakness, however, it might be their relative inability to finish. Though they tied for second in the conference in shots per game at 21.63, they were fourth in shots on goal per game (12.88) and just fifth in goals per game, at 2.75. Fourteen of Washington & Jefferson's 16 games were decided by three goals or fewer, and all three of their games against the other Empire 8 playoff teams were one-goal victories.
           
Individually, Rachel Buyan and Alana Boyd stood out the most for the Presidents this season. Buyan led the team with 13 goals and 29 points, while Boyd was right behind with 10 goals and 24 points. Boyd especially stood out in conference play, netting nine of her 10 goals against Empire 8 foes, good for second overall in the conference. She was also first in shots per game, with 8.00, blowing away the second-place finisher, who has 6.38. Rena Israel took care of the goalkeeping for Washington & Jefferson, and although she did not have to face many shots, she stopped almost all that she did see, giving up only four goals on 30 shots, and only one goal on 16 shots in conference play. She was first in the Empire 8 in goals against average (0.13), save percentage (.941), and shutouts (7).
           
Washington & Jefferson and Hartwick met once this season, when the Presidents made the long drive up to Oneonta on October 6. Boyd scored on the first shot of the game, just seven and a half minutes in, when the ball was deflected up and over Osborne and into the net. The Hawks controlled the game going forward, leading in shots, 10-6, and shots on goal, 8-3. 'Wick thought they had the game-tying goal with 7:01 remaining, when Singer put one past Israel, but the goal was waved off due to a Hartwick infraction. That was the final chance for the Hawks, and Washington & Jefferson held on for the 1-0 victory.
           
The two teams have met in the Empire 8 semifinals four times prior. The Hawks and Presidents played in the '07, '08, and '09 tournaments with W&J winning by scores of 1-0, 2-0, and 1-0, respectively. They met again in 2016 with the Presidents topping the Hawks 4-0 in Pittsford, NY. Overall, the Hawks are 2-15 against W&J all-time. They will be eyeing their first win since 2012 and looking to snap a seven-game winless streak.
           
The Hawks will take on the Presidents this Friday, November 2 at noon, in Cameron Stadium in Washington, PA. The winner will advance to the Empire 8 championship, played in the same location on Saturday, November 3 at 1 p.m., against the winner of St. John Fisher vs. Stevens. Live stats can be found at: https://gopresidents.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary. The live stream can be accessed at: https://gopresidents.com/watch/?Live=335&type=Live.