Geneseo field hockey dropped two home games on Oct. 3 and Saturday Oct. 4, both 3-1, to SUNY Oneonta and SUNY New Paltz. Both teams were very aggressive on offense and put points on the board fast. With regard to the losses, head coach Jess Seren expressed optimism that her team will bounce back quickly.
“These games helped us set the bar and gave our team an idea of what we need to do to be competitive in this conference,” Seren said. “In both games we were competitive, as it was hard fought for both teams.”
Both Oneonta and New Paltz tested the Knights with stunning offensive possessions and defense that held Geneseo to just 17 total shots in both games. Despite a subpar start, Seren is confident that the game plan will stay relatively the same through the rest of the season.
“It’s not going to change much going forward, as we need to focus on ourselves, on our team and continuing to improve,” Seren said. “I think we have chosen to measure our success this season, and these losses are something we are going to carry with us for the rest of the fall.”
It is going to be up to the senior guidance of defender Ashley Favata, midfielder Cathryn Menarchem, forward Emily Topping and goalkeeper Heidi Deppmeyer to carry the team into postseason play, according to Seren.
“If [our seniors] continue to set the example they do in practice as far as work ethic goes, then their leadership is going to carry this team,” Seren said. “As we get closer to the end of the season, it’s my hope they leave it all out on the field. I do not want them to leave Geneseo field hockey with any regrets.”
The Knights are off during the weekend of Saturday Oct. 11, giving them extra time to practice and prepare for conference rival SUNY Brockport. Seren described this upcoming game as “a good midseason test [against] … a very physical team that we have been back and forth with the past few seasons.”
The Knights are going to have to play as hard as they can in order to get a much-needed win. Brockport currently sits at fourth in the SUNYAC standings, just one spot higher than Geneseo. If the Knights can continue to play tough and secure a win, they should be able to get a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament.
The Knights play Brockport at home on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.