The Geneseo women's lacrosse team rebounded in a big way this past weekend, securing two much needed victories against conference opponents SUNY Oneonta and SUNY New Paltz.
"We needed two solid wins to start off conference play and that is what we were able to do," said head coach Carly Ritchlin in an e-mail. "I was proud of the team for the way they came out. They were strong, confident and intense; they were ready to play."
During their last few outings, the Knights have struggled to maintain their consistency. On Friday, however, they made a strong statement, coming out against a tough Oneonta squad.
"The main thing that was different for Friday's game was that we came out strong, we were strong in the middle and we were still strong at the end," Ritchlin said. "We put a full 60 minutes together."
Geneseo set the tone early by scoring five straight goals to close out the first half, later pouring on three consecutive goals to start the second half. Oneonta did manage to cut the lead with three straight goals of their own, but in the end, the Knights prevailed with a score of 14-9.
"This season we've been having trouble playing consistently hard through the entire 60 minute game," said sophomore Kim Magee, who collected four draws in the win. "[Friday] was the first time we really put it all together."
Senior Abby Hungerford led the Knights with five goals and three draw controls followed by junior Lauren Burgoon who added three more goals. Junior Annie Smith turned in a strong performance in the net for Geneseo, stopping 11 shots that came her way.
For the Knights this victory was special not only because it came on the coattails of a three-game losing streak, but also because it was against an opponent they had failed to beat all of last season.
"In the SUNYAC league every win is a must," Burgoon said. "Oneonta is a great team so beating them was huge. We came out ready to play and were able to execute for a full game."
It was more of the same for the Knights on Saturday as they crushed New Paltz 20-3 and stayed undefeated in conference play. The Knights never trailed, cruising to a 15-1 halftime lead and a 20-3 overall victory.
Junior Anna Hutchings scored a team-high of six goals with four draw controls to lead Geneseo, while Magee was right behind her with five more goals. Hungerford and fellow senior Justine Thorner, along with juniors Cassie Broton and Kelly Smith also added goals of their own.
"I think this weekend was huge for us," Hutchings said. "Not only have we started SUNYAC play 2-0, but we also proved to ourselves what a good team we are."
The Knights improved to 4-3 overall but will need to maintain their consistent level of play if they hope to beat rival SUNY Cortland at home this Friday at 4 p.m.