ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hartwick College field hockey team rallied with two fourth-quarter goals to earn a 2-1 Empire 8 victory over Utica University Wednesday afternoon at Wright Stadium. The Utica defense held strong until the fourth quarter, when the Hawks' offense overwhelmed the Pioneers, and they were able to get both the equalizer and the game-winner.
Junior
Kayla Kinkel (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) scored the equalizer, while junior
Kendal Woolley (Blue Point, N.Y./Bayport Blue Point) netted the game-winning goal to complete the Hawks' comeback. Woolley's goal was her first of the season, while Kinkel recorded her seventh.
Senior
Ava Reynolds (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) made four saves in goal for Hartwick, earning her 11
th win of the season.
Hartwick outshot Utica 32-14 and held an 11-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Hawks also earned 14 penalty corners, compared to six for the Pioneers.
With the win, Hartwick improves to 11-5 overall and 8-1 in Empire 8 play, while Utica falls to 4-11 and 4-5 in conference play. The Hawks will await their opponent for their Empire 8 semifinal matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Utica opened the scoring at 4:25 in the first quarter on an unassisted goal from Jocelyn Spiezio, as they used their lone penalty corner of the first half to take three shots on goal, with the final earning them a goal. Hartwick continued to apply pressure throughout the first three quarters, dominating most facets of the game, but entered the final period trailing 1-0.
The Hawks broke through in the fourth quarter when Kinkel scored at 49:25 to even the contest 1-1. The junior forward corralled a loose ball as
Dani Hand (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) had her shot saved, and the rebound fell right to Kinkel on the doorstep for the equalizer.
Hartwick kept the pressure on, and Woolley delivered the decisive goal at 53:34 to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. The junior netted her first goal of the season off a
Katelyn Klotz (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) saved shot, and immediately deposited the rebound into the back of the cage. Hartwick's defense held firm over the final minutes to secure the comeback victory.
