While the rest of the Geneseo campus was taking a break from the troubles of school, work and the like, the women's field hockey team continued to cruise through its schedule.
In the last two weeks, the Knights have rattled off four straight wins, including two wins over SUNYAC opponent SUNY Brockport to close out the conference schedule.
The most compelling game of the stretch was against Nazareth College, which had a 3-4 record prior to the game. Though the game remained scoreless after the first 70 minutes, senior Stephanie Maisonet netted a goal to seal the win in the fourth minute of overtime.
"We knew going into the game that their goalie was their best player, and she had a great game against us," head coach Jessica Seren said of the Nazareth game. "However, we kept the momentum for most of the game and were able to come out with the win in overtime."
The defense continued to demonstrate its dominance, allowing just two shots on goal all game; sophomore Caitlyn Dowell made goaltending look effortless. After the game, Dowell emphasized the importance of a total team effort: "[This game] really showed how strong our defensive line is since I was only shot on two times … throughout the entire game the ball was on [Nazareth's] side and barely ever came into our 25 yard zone."
Next up were the Brockport Golden Eagles. Although they didn't come in as favorites, Golden Eagles gave Geneseo a game well into the second half. The difference was senior Erin Zalewski's goal in the second half off of a great assist by senior Michelle Milkovich, who scored the Knights' first goal of the game.
An out-of-conference game against St. Lawrence University produced another test to the Knights. This time, the game was more of a shootout. The hero of the game was a defender, freshman Bridget McGovern. Geneseo took the lead first when McGovern converted a pass from Maisonet 17 minutes into the first half. After that, St. Lawrence took the lead with two straight goals, both coming right out of the intermission - but the Knights were not going to give away the game so easily. In a familiar sequence, Milkovich took a give-and-go from Zalewski to tie the game at two with less than 20 minutes left to play.
This set the stage for McGovern to win the game. The freshman from Yorktown Heights netted the game winner after taking a pass from Milkovich off of a corner, to the delight of both her teammates and coach.
"To come from behind and score two late goals shows a lot about the mentality of our team," Seren said after the win.
A rematch with Brockport was up next on the schedule for Geneseo, but the results were the same. This time, it was Milkovich who led the team as the Knights controlled the game from beginning to end. Milkovich scored a goal in each half and the Knights rolled to a 2-0 win. With these two goals, Milkovich has now scored more points this season than any other Geneseo player. Dowell and sophomore Nicole Zito split the time in goal to earn the shutout.
Just four regular season games remain for Geneseo. Of the opponents, only Hobart and William Smith Colleges has a winning record; the Herons are 10-4 so far on the season. After that, the Knights will be hosting the SUNYAC championships in early November.