HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Hartwick College field hockey team earned a 1-0 Empire 8 victory over Houghton University Saturday afternoon at Burke Field. After a scoreless first three quarters, the Hawks broke through in the fourth quarter to secure the road conference win.
Junior
Makayla Bales (Sidney, N.Y./Sidney) scored the game-winning goal for Hartwick, finding the back of the net at 48:23 in the fourth quarter. The goal was Bales' seventh of the season and her third game-winning goal of the year, a team-high.
Senior
Ava Reynolds (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) made one save to earn the shutout, as the Hawks held Houghton to just four shots and one shot on goal.
Hartwick dominated offensively, finishing with a 27-4 advantage in shots and a 7-1 edge in shots on goal. The Hawks also earned 18 penalty corners compared to five for Houghton.
With the victory, Hartwick improves to 7-4 overall and 5-1 in Empire 8 play, while the Highlanders fall to 7-3 and 3-1 in league play. The Hawks are next in action on Wednesday, Oct. 14, when they host No. 13 ranked Cortland in a non-conference matchup.
After a scoreless first half, Hartwick continued to pressure the Houghton defense in the third quarter, earning multiple penalty corners and recording five shots. In the third quarter, the Hawks dominated possession, holding the Highlanders to zero shots, while attempting five and getting six penalty corners. Houghton's goalkeeper Amber Cribbs was able to keep Hartwick off the board, however, keeping the game knotted at zero.
The Hawks finally broke through at 48:23 in the fourth quarter when Bales scored off a rebound from a saved shot by
Katelyn Klotz (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) during a Hartwick penalty corner, backhanding the ball into the cage. Reynolds and the Hartwick defense held off Houghton the rest of the way, including a penalty stroke attempt that Reynolds saved at 50:55 to preserve the shutout.
