Field Hockey Suffers First Loss of The Season in OT
The Box Score CORTLAND, N.Y. — Wednesday night’s game between the Ithaca College field hockey team and the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons ended in a loss for the Bombers, 2–1, in overtime. The loss brings the Bombers’ overall record to 4–1 for the season.
Throughout the game, the Bombers were outshot 14–4, while the Red Dragons led in shots on goal 8–2 and corners 15–4 to take the win. Macy Brandwein, a graduate student and goalie for the Bombers, was named the Liberty League Field Hockey Defensive Performer of the Week. She made eight saves and kept the Bombers in the game. Natalie Descalso, a sophomore striker for the Bombers, scored the team’s lone goal with an assist from fellow sophomore striker Emma Garver. The assist was Garver’s second of the year, while the goal was Descalso’s third of the season. Descalso was responsible for both of the team’s shots on target.
The Red Dragons took the initiative early on, leading the way in shots with a 4–0 advantage and placing one of those shots on target. Brandwein stood tall and prevented Cortland from scoring, but the defence also held up, bending without breaking and making critical defensive plays to prevent the Red Dragons from scoring on a handful of high-risk scoring opportunities. Brandwein stood tall and closed the door on Cortland. The Red Dragons were successful in generating four opportunities for corner kicks, but they had a goal disallowed for an own goal because of a foul committed soon before the shot was taken.
On the other hand, the Bombers staged a comeback in the second quarter and had the Red Dragons on their toes at times. The Bombers got two corner opportunities, and sophomore attackers Descalso and Juliana Valli each took two shots, but the Bombers were unable to take the lead despite their efforts. Cortland was unable to register a shot in the frame despite the fact that the Red Dragons had three corners, but the Bombers defence was able to stop everything that the Red Dragons sent their way.
The Red Dragons had the first opportunity of the second half, which came on a corner kick in the 34th minute of the match, just after halftime. The Bombers’ defence allowed the Red Dragons to go past them for a clean shot from the point, but Brandwein booted the ball away to clear the threat. The Red Dragons almost seized the lead as they soon earned another corner chance, but the ball was kicked into the net, leaving the score equal at 0–0. Before the Bombers were eventually able to force Cortland into the defensive in the third period, much of the action occurred in their own end of the rink. The Bombers got their two corners of the quarter with four minutes left to play, and with three minutes and forty-six seconds left in the third quarter, Descalso scored from the top of the circle with an assist from sophomore attacker Emma Garver, giving the Bombers a 1-0 lead.
The Red Dragons soon applied pressure to the Bombers defence in the final period, and just over a minute into the fourth, they were successful in drawing a corner. But the shot passed right through the centre of the circle and missed the target entirely. When there were 11 minutes remaining in the first, the Red Dragons earned another corner, but the Bombers defended it effectively, which forced the Red Dragons to commit a foul. Despite their best efforts, the Bombers were unable to clear the ball, and with 10 minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Red Dragons scored off of a corner to tie the game. After the goal, the game continued in a back-and-forth fashion, but Brandwein made two crucial saves against the Red Dragons. He made the first of his two stops with five minutes remaining, and then he made another one only one minute after that. When there were just two minutes remaining in the quarter, senior attacker Morgan Mullen raced down a long pass and evaded two defenders, but a foul was called on the Bombers. This was the Bombers’ best opportunity of the quarter. With one minute left, Brandwein made a crucial save, and shortly after that, a corner kick was stopped.
After four quarters, the score was at 1–1; therefore, the allotted time of sixty minutes would not be sufficient. After only 16 seconds, the Red Dragons earned the first corner of the extra session that was played. The Red Dragons attempted to score, but Brandwein blocked their shot by stacking the pads in front of the net. On the other hand, they were able to handle the rebound and scored shortly after, resulting in a 2–1 victory.
On Tuesday, September 20, the Bombers will be playing SUNY Brockport at 4 o’clock in Brockport, and they will be looking to get back on track in that game.
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