ONEONTA, NY – Katie Ziniti (Chester, NH/Pinkerton Academy) took a sparkling long ball from Courtney Velho (Derry, NH/Pinkerton Academy) and crossed it over with a nifty pass of her own to Tanner Reed (Unadilla, NY/Unatego Central), who pounced on her own rebound and sent it into the net to give the Hartwick women's soccer team a 1-0 lead in the 85th minute against Keuka in each team's season opener, as well as the first game of the Brozman Cup. The Hawks held on to win, making it the sixth straight year the Hawks have started their slate with a win in the Brozman opener.
'Wick had the best of play in the first half, but did not have too much to show for it. Reed had a decent chance in the 25th minute, but put it wide of the net. It was a slow first 45 minutes overall, as neither team had a shot in the final 18:51 of the period. The Hawks were outshooting the Wolves 4-1 heading into the locker room.
The second half saw play pick up a bit. There were 14 shots overall, with Hartwick claiming a 10-4 advantage. They had a golden opportunity in the 67th minute, but Julia Collado's (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon) shot rang off the post to keep the game scoreless. Reed, who had been substituted out earlier in the half, came back in at the 80:45 mark, and made her presence felt again quickly, scoring at 84:08 for a 1-0 lead. The Hawks held strong for the rest of the half, not conceding any more shots to the Wolves.
Reed was dominant on the day, outshooting the opponent by herself with six shots (two on goal) to Keuka's five, and of course potting the game's only goal. Ziniti made an impact in her first collegiate game with an assist on the game-winner, and Collado contributed with three shots of her own. Velho, Katie Weaver (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker), and Dana Caputo (Commack, NY/Commack) headed up a stout back end that did not allow any significant chances to the Wolves. Cassandra Robataille (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) had to make just two saves to earn her 18th career shutout, moving her into sole possession of third place all-time on the Hartwick career list.
In the second Brozman Cup game of the day, Utica comfortably beat Morrisville, 4-0. The Cup concludes tomorrow for all four teams, as Hartwick takes on Morrisville at 12 p.m. and Utica plays Keuka at 3 p.m. All games will be played on Elmore Field.
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