Geneseo traveled to SUNY Cortland on Nov. 4 to take on the top-seeded Red Dragons in the semifinals of the SUNYAC conference tournament. Though the fourth-seeded Knights were able to play with Cortland for the majority of the game, the Red Dragons scored two goals in the final three minutes to secure a 2-0 victory.
The Knights, who were looking to avenge a 3-2 loss to their rival on Sept. 17, went into the game fired up.
"We were definitely excited that we were matched with Cortland… [and] we used that to our advantage," said head coach Jessica Seren.
The Knights were in control for most of the first half and had several scoring opportunities on which they failed to capitalize, including a two-minute span late in the first half in which the team earned four penalty corners.
On one of those corners, sophomore forward Kerry Hosford shot a ball from outside the arc that ricocheted off a Cortland player and into the net; but the goal was waived off because it did not touch a Geneseo player inside the arc.
Play was more equal after the half as both teams fought to keep their seasons alive. Both teams combined for 15 shots-on-goal in the second half, but none went in until the final three minutes.
With just over two-and-a-half minutes left, Cortland scored the first goal of the game off a deflection. The Red Dragons secured the 2-0 win with another goal with just 51 seconds left.
Despite giving up the two goals, junior Caitlyn Dowell made five saves in the contest.
The Knights played closely to their opponents all season, but their failure to capitalize was a recurring problem.
"It's been frustrating for the team to out-play their opponents and not come out on top," said Seren.
She remained positive for next year, however, adding that, "Now it's a matter of getting that killer instinct in the circle and capitalizing on our opportunities. We'll get there."