ONEONTA, NY – A pandemic-altered season ultimately did not affect the Hartwick field hockey team's performance much on the pitch, as despite nearly 500 days between games the Hawks secured the second seed in the Empire 8 Tournament to make it three consecutive and four out of the last five seasons they have made it to the conference semifinals. 'Wick went 3-1 in the shortened slate, with their lone loss coming on the road in overtime to perennial conference powerhouse St. John Fisher. They earned the right to host an Empire 8 Semifinal in their try for back-to-back conference titles, taking on third-seeded Houghton on Friday, April 23 at 4 p.m. on the Wright Stadium turf.
These two teams opened up their seasons against each other on March 21 with a matchup at Houghton. As has been the case the last few years between the sides, Hartwick dominated the possession battle but struggled to break away in what was ultimately a 1-0 game (the eighth consecutive contest these teams were separated by just one tally). The Hawks outshot the Highlanders 31-5, including a 17-2 advantage in shots on goal, and after neither side scored in regulation 'Wick turned up the heat in both seven-on-seven overtime periods to the tune of a 5-0 shot advantage in the first extra session and an 8-0 lead in the second. 'Wick finally got a well-earned victory in the waning seconds of the second overtime, when Leah Tolley (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) poked one through a scrum and into the cage thanks in part to Tegan Robinson's (Mechanicville, NY/Shenendehowa) assist.
The result in that season opener set the tone for the rest of the conference season for each team. Hartwick narrowly lost their next game in overtime, 3-2, to eventual regular season champion St. John Fisher but earned a pair of home wins against Utica (2-1) and Nazareth (3-0) to round out the regular season and clinch home-field advantage in the Semifinals. Houghton dropped their next game at home to Nazareth, 3-1, before getting on the board with an important 3-1 road win at Utica. The Highlanders ended their regular season at St. John Fisher, losing 4-0 to the Cardinals.
Offensively, the Hawks were led far and away by reigning conference Rookie of the Year Sydney Gagnon (Chestertown, NY/North Warren Central), who had the team lead in shots (29), shots on goal (20) and goals (tied with Holly Calore (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) at two). She was second in the conference in shots and shots on goal only to St. John Fisher standout Bre Socker, who had 32 and 24 in those categories, respectively. Other offensive leaders for 'Wick include Tolley, who had a goal and an assist on seven shots, Julie Ruzzi (High Falls, NY/Rondout Valley), who despite not earning a point was second on the team with ten shots and was often highly noticeable throughout games, and Robinson, who had a goal and an assist on five shots. A strong defensive effort that saw 'Wick give up just 8.8 shots and one goal per game was headed up by the always-reliable goalkeeper Allyson Osborne (Nottingham, PA/Solanco). The senior backstop had a lot of help from her back line, which included impressive rookie Emily Strutt (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington). Strutt was also an important contributor on offense for the Hawks, putting up an assist on six shots in four games.
Houghton's offensive leader in Empire 8 play was Caitlin Jennings, who led the team and ranked sixth in the conference in shots at 11 (seven on target) and had the game-winner in the third quarter of an important win against Utica on April 11. Peyton Bentley was the only other Highlander to have more than three shots in conference play, shooting seven times (three on net) and scoring once. Defensively, Hannah Daniels and Zoey Kasper were the stalwarts of the third-ranked unit in the league. They and their teammates combined with goalie Sofia Gildemeister to allow just 2.25 goals per game.
Hartwick has by far the more impressive postseason history, particularly recently. They are four-time Empire 8 champions, including three in four years from 2002-2005, as well as the defending titleholder from their triumph in 2019. Houghton has made the playoffs just once in program history, when they went 4-3 in conference play in 2017 and bowed out in the Empire 8 Semifinals to top-seeded Washington & Jefferson, 3-0.
Live stats for the Semifinal can be found here, and the live video stream can be found here. Attendance will be limited to current Hartwick students and employees allowed on campus.
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