HOUGHTON, NY – There were nearly 500 days (494 to be exact) between Hartwick field hockey's last game in the NCAA Tournament and today's season opener, and at times it felt like it was going to take that long to see a goal. The Hawks finally cashed in with just 12 seconds to go in double overtime, however, as a scramble off a penalty corner led to Leah Tolley (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) sending one across the goal line via a Tegan Robinson (Mechanicville, NY/Shenendehowa) assist. The tally gave 'Wick a 1-0 victory over host Houghton, as the teams were separated by just one goal for the eighth consecutive meeting.
The first quarter was all Hawks, as they earned four penalty corners to Houghton's one and had six shots to the Highlanders' zero. All six efforts were on target, including two in the final minute that were credited as defensive saves: one each from Julie Ruzzi (High Falls, NY/Rondout Valley) and Sydney Gagnon (Chestertown, NY/North Warren Central). Hartwick continued to control the bulk of play in the second period, with a slimmer 3-1 lead in shots, but the game remained scoreless at the half.
Houghton finally put one on target in the third quarter, but it was handled by keeper Allyson Osborne (Nottingham, PA/Solanco), while nice efforts from Ruzzi, Holly Calore (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) and Gagnon did not find the back of the cage. The final period of regulation mirrored the previous one in a few respects, as Osborne made another save and Hartwick nearly tallied a couple times. Ultimately, the buzzer sounded at the end of 60 minutes with a pair of zeroes on the scoreboard.
The Hawks turned up the heat in both overtime periods, dominating a tired Houghton squad to the tune of a 5-0 shot advantage in the first extra session and an 8-0 lead in the second. Gagnon nearly scored in the 69th minute as she sent one past goalkeeper Sofia Gildemeister, but the ball was stopped by defender Hannah Daniels. Gagnon had another effort stopped by a defensive save midway through the second overtime, as well as a pair of tries that went just wide. Tolley finally tallied at 79:48, joining the scrum in front of the cage to knock it home with Robinson's help. The goal was her third career game-winner and her first in overtime.
Gagnon led all players with a career-high 12 shots, seven of which went on target. Seven of those efforts came in the two overtime periods. Ruzzi impressed in her first collegiate contest, with eight shots and four on goal, while Rebecca Peakes (West Chester, PA/Unionville) had three tries with one on target. The two point-getters, Tolley and Robinson, each had two shots and one on goal. Osborne and her back line secured the shutout, as the backstop made two saves over nearly eighty minutes for her 13th career clean sheet.
Hartwick had a sizeable 31-5 advantage in the shot department, including a 17-2 lead in shots on goal. They also earned 10 penalty corners to their host's four.
The Hawks have nearly two weeks before their next game, on Saturday, April 3. They will travel to Rochester to take on defending regular season champion St. John Fisher at 1 p.m.
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