Winning has become the norm for the Geneseo field hockey team. The last time the 10-2 Knights lost a game, Geneseo students could still add or drop a class, it was still technically summer and the NFL season was only one week old.
As the leaves begin to change in the Livingston Valley around the Geneseo campus, one thing that has remained the same is Geneseo’s sustained success on the field hockey turf.
During their eight-game win streak, the Knights have outscored opponents 39-3. Teams are now coming into games against Geneseo desperate to find a way to score, much less find a way to win.
On Saturday Oct. 5, Geneseo traveled east in order to extend their win streak and add another school to their lengthy list of defeated opponents. However, the Knights were not going to easily roll over the then 8-3 SUNY Cortland Red Dragons.
Before the game got underway, Cortland was undefeated in conference play and nestled comfortably in first place with the Knights. Tied atop the standings, the two teams followed suit and played a scoreless first 30 minutes in the first half. One of the only positive things to come out of the first half was Geneseo’s ability to manage a slim 5-4 advantage in shots.
Another edge Geneseo had coming into the game was their win streak. According to senior defender Julia Kim, the Knights’ morale was high due to their recent stretch of success. “[We] used the momentum of our current win streak to understand that, as a team, we can win and do great things,” Kim said. “The benefit of having a win streak is having more support from the Geneseo community since we are having so much success.”
As the two teams broke out of their huddles to end halftime, Geneseo looked to break the tie and get onto the scoreboard. It took them nearly the entire third quarter and eight total shots, but with 30 seconds left in the third, first-year midfielder Cassidy Sturdevant found the back of the net for the game’s first goal and her second of the year.
Sturdevant’s goal was the first of two goals scored by the Knights. Junior forward Hayley Clark put the game away with her seventh goal of the year early in the fourth quarter, making the final score 2-0 Geneseo.
Geneseo’s two-goal shutout was their smallest margin of victory since their 1-0 win over Ithaca on Sept 21. Sturdevant and the Knights felt a difference in the win.
“Winning any game is an amazing feeling, and definitely a huge accomplishment, no matter the score or team,” Sturdevant said. “Beating Cortland 2-0 was such an exhilarating feeling. That team is definitely one of our top opponents, so beating them in such a competitive game feels amazing and so accomplishing and definitely different than the games with lopsided scores.”
With the win, Geneseo continued their win streak that now sits at eight consecutive victories. The Knights not only got past Cortland in the game, but also passed them in the SUNYAC standings with a 2-0 conference record for first place and the Red Dragons falling to second place at 2-1 in the conference.
The team experienced another shut-out win over Keuka College at home on Wednesday Oct. 9, 5-0.
The Knights continue conference play on Saturday Oct. 12 when they travel to take on SUNY New Paltz.