A field hockey game is 70 minutes long and on Oct. 19, the Geneseo field hockey team learned that the worst minute is when there is no time remaining on the clock. The Knights faced SUNY Cortland in a potentially crucial match regarding future SUNYAC playoff games. It was a clash between the undefeated conference teams.
Hosting the SUNYAC tournament was on the line for Geneseo, which is significant, as home field advantage can sometimes be a deciding factor in games.
The Red Dragons scored first, 13 minutes into the game on a deflected shot off Geneseo goalie sophomore Dayna Mercer. The Knights went into the half scoreless but came back strong as midfielder freshman Liz Doherty scored the equalizing goal in the 40th minute.
The tie was short-lived though, with Cortland responding two minutes later to regain the lead.
A corner in the 51st minute proved beneficial for the Knights, as senior Kerry Hosford scored after multiple shot attempts. The game remained tied for the rest of play.
Time was expired, but the match was not over. In field hockey, if the time ends while a team is taking a corner, it is not officially over until the corner is ruled officially dead by either the defensive team hitting it out of the crease or the shooting team hitting it out of bounds, or scoring. The former two of the three options would have sent the game into overtime. The Knights, however, did not get the chance to win in extra time.
The Red Dragons were awarded a corner in the final minute, and as time expired, play continued and a shot found its way through the tight defense hitting the back of the net. Cortland came away with a 3-2 victory.
Despite the loss, Geneseo’s season is not over, and there is still the potential for the Knights to host SUNYACs depending on the outcome of upcoming games.
“We proved, once again, that we can run and compete with one of the best teams in the country. We came back twice in the game being down 1-0 and again 2-1, which is a testament to this team’s fight,” head coach Jess Seren said. “We had them on their heels in the second half and controlled the play.
“Sometimes it’s not always about the outcome. We’re doing great things every time we take the field and have confidence in our abilities,” Seren added. “Games like that are only going to make us stronger – physically and mentally.”
Editor’s note:
The field hockey team beat SUNY Brockport 4-0 on Wednesday Oct. 23. Senior Kayla DeAngelis scored two goals for the Knights. Geneseo is first in the conference with a record of 5-1.