ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hartwick Women's Soccer Team hosted the Alfred Saxons for an Empire 8 conference matchup under the lights of Elmore Field, battling their way to a draw in their final regular season home match.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Alfred 0 Hartwick 0 

• Location: Oneonta, N.Y.

• Records: Alfred (6-3-6, 2-3-5 Empire 8) Hartwick (4-4-7, 1-3-6 Empire 8) 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Tonight's match was dedicated to mental health awareness in collaboration with The Hidden Opponent.The Hidden Opponent is an accredited non-profit and advocacy group that raises awareness for student-athlete mental health and addresses the stigma within sports culture.

• The Hawks looked to defend home field against the Saxons in their final regular season home game as the race to the Empire 8 Tournament continues to heat up. 

• Hartwick kicked the game off and got to work swiftly, pushing down the field with pace with Julia Bono (West Milford, N.J.) posting the first shot of the night in the sixth minute but was stopped by the Alfred keeper.

• Grace Byrne (Lynbrook, N.Y.) followed up with a shot of her own on the Hawks' next attack, missing high in the eighth minute to cap off the early pressure.

• Alfred answered back by generating some pressure of their own, moving their way down the field by the help of a few throw-ins to post their first corner in the 12th minute.

• The Hawks cleared the danger from the corner and methodically passed their way down the pitch, registering their first corner but was turned away by the Saxons.

• Meghan Perry (Otego, N.Y.) was able to collect her first save with ease, denying a shot coming from outside the box in the 14th minute.

• Alfred rang off three more shots in the following six minutes but all were off target as the Hawks looked to be the ones to dictate the pace once again, hoping to create a chance off the goal kick.

• The Royal Blue and White earned their second corner of the game that created the most promising look of the game yet as Jenna Mierek (Prospect, Conn.) placed a promising ball into the box. Through the chaos of the packed box, Addyson Galuski (Waterford, N.Y.) was able to get a foot on a loose ball and place a shot but was denied by an Alfred defender standing in goal in the 24th minute.

• The Hawks continued to push the tempo, posting three corners in the final twelve minutes but were unable to generate an end product as the action packed first half saw no goals despite the combined eleven shots and six corners between the two teams.

• Hartwick opened up the second half with more of the offensive pressure they displayed in the first half as Ella Weber (Lenhartsville, Pa.) posted the first shot of the half in the 49th minute.

• Alfred formulated a counter attack off the Weber shot and posted a shot on goal of their own but was thwarted by Perry in the 50th minute.

• Millie Caldon (Gilmanton, N.H.) and Mierek ripped shots on goal in the 67th and 68th minute but could not get past the keeper.

• The Hawks looked to formulate another attack but a solid clear from the Saxons put Alfred in a prime position for a counter attack with a ball over the top of the Hawk defense to a Saxon attacker in the open field. Morgan Perry (Otego, N.Y.) was quick to react, stifling the push with a well-executed slide tackle.

• Hartwick found themselves on their back foot again as the Saxons pushed once more but this time it was Trinity Irizarry (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) executing and halting the attack and putting the Hawks back on the offensive.

• With just under five minutes left, Olivia Farnham (Millerton, N.Y.) posted a promising strike from outside the box on the right wing but unfortunately struck the crossbar as the stalemate continued.

• The Hawks posted one final corner in the 87th minute but were unable to create an end product with the match ending in a draw.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks will head to Russell Sage for their final regular season match on Wednesday, October 30th at 7PM.

HARTWICK COLLEGE

One of the oldest colleges in the country, Hartwick has continually evolved for 225 years. The College's exciting new chapter is called FlightPath, a future-focused approach to education. Offering a distinctive blend of curricular, co-curricular and real-world work experiences, FlightPath builds on Hartwick's long history of integrating broad-based studies with experiential learning.

Hartwick College is a nationally ranked independent college of the arts and sciences located in picturesque Oneonta, NY, in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. The College offers 35 courses of study leading to a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, two master's degrees in the sciences, and a graduate certificate in nursing education. For more information, visit www.Hartwick.edu.