Women's Soccer ties in close double overtime effort

Moving swiftly through the start of their season, the women’s soccer team has looked nearly unstoppable in their games so far this season. With two dominant wins and an average of two goals per game, it is clear that these women are a force to be reckoned with. The team has a strong 2-1-1 record. After seemingly scoring at will in the first two games—the team had a combined margin of victory of eight goals—the girls have lost a bit of their early season magic, getting shutout in the subsequent two games. This is not from a lack of opportunities—during the scoreless stretch, the Knights have outshot opponents 29-23.

“A big thing we need to do more is create more opportunities to score,” freshman goalie Emily Janiszewski said. “Our defense is strong, we just need that other aspect to really complete the team.”

The defense has undoubtedly been one of the team’s strengths throughout the season.

“One of our positives so far this season is the fact that we had three shutouts in four games. The great thing about this team is that they are not satisfied with only three shutouts in four games,” head coach Nate Wiley said. “We are continuing to improve every day in training. We hope to see some increased scoring as we move forward.”

The heart of this brick wall of a defense starts at the back end with Janiszewski. Despite being a freshman, she has not played like a rookie. Janiszewski gives the credit to her teammates, however, especially senior midfielder Marissa Benson.

“She keeps a great attitude and it is clear that she is here to win. If I punt the ball, I can count on Benson to win it in the air and to send it off to the next player,” she said. “If there is a corner kick, I expect her to be on the end of that ball. She is a great player and I'm sad to see her leave next year.”

Even though the offense has been stagnant lately, the defense has been formidable. It seems like this year’s team will go as far as the defense can take them. This is not necessarily a bad thing—the great University of Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant once said, “Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.”

“It may be a bit early in the season to be speaking championship, but that doesn’t mean that any teams should be any less relaxed against these Knights,” Wiley said. “We give all of our opponents their due respect, but we definitely approach every game with the mindset that we have the ability to win.”

Six of the next eight games are on the road for the Knights. With resurgence on the offensive end—and some solid defense—perhaps the women can build another win streak.

Mens soccer ties for second straight game

The Geneseo men's soccer team faced two tough opponents on the road, tying both Clarkson University 2-2 on Friday Sept. 11 and St. Lawrence University 1-1 on Saturday Sept. 12. The Knights still remain undefeated, however, with a record of 3-0-3. "We created a numerous amount of chances [against Clarkson], but we need to increase quality chances a little more against a team like that," head coach Dominic Oliveri said. "We played really well in the first half against them and didn't give up any shots on goal at all, but the score was still 0-0. When you leave a team in the game like that, anything can happen."

The second half of that game turned out to be hectic, as all four goals were scored in a span of just 12 minutes. Junior midfielder Matt D'Amico scored his second goal of the season in the 71st minute, but Clarkson countered by scoring twice in one minute to take the lead.

"We weren't playing well in the second half,” Oliveri said. "They really flustered us the whole time. We got a goal with about 20 minutes left and I think our guys thought that we would just cruise from there, but instead, the opposite happened."

The Knights managed to tie up the game in the 83rd minute on a goal from junior forward Ethan Gunty, his second of the season.

After that game, the Knights took on the St. Lawrence Saints. St. Lawrence entered the game an undefeated 4-0, but the two teams settled for a tie. Oliveri was more than pleased with that result against a formidable opponent.

"I had a feeling that we would play much better on Saturday,” he said. "[When playing] against a stronger team, you become more motivated."

The Knights had a solid first half, limiting the Saints' opportunities and scoring a goal of their own in the 21st minute, courtesy of senior Brad Campion. It was the first goal that St. Lawrence had allowed all season long. The Saints made a comeback in the second half, however, and managed to even the score in the 74th minute.

"It was pretty hectic for the last 15 minutes into overtime,” Oliveri said. "They hit the crossbar, then we hit the crossbar. They saved one off the line and then we saved one off the line. It was going back and forth.”

The Knights' long road trip is nearing its end, but the team has another challenging game to play at 4-1 Hobart College on Saturday Sept. 19. They finally return to College Stadium to play SUNY Fredonia on Sept. 25.

Cross Country looks to run into NCAA championship

After stellar finishes from both squads on Saturday Sept. 12 at the Oswego Invitational, the Geneseo men’s and women’s cross country teams are looking ahead with optimism for the rest of the season. The men’s team had 14 of the top 15 finishers at the invitational while the women had seven of the top nine finishers in their race. “Our strategy from the get-go was to start the race as a bunch and to help get the younger runners more used to these type of races, the longer distances,” head coach Dan Moore said. “Then with about a third left of the race, we let them loose and they showed us what they got.”

Sophomore runner Isaac Garcia-Cassani crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 26:23, followed shortly after by junior Alfredo Mazzuca, junior Alex Kramer and senior Brendan Wortner.

For the women, freshman Olivia Ryan crossed the line in first place with a time of 19:36, followed by junior Marissa Bellusci, freshman Elise Ramirez and sophomore Kristen Homeyer. Even though Moore used his giant pack strategy primarily as a tool to help the underclassmen become accustomed to longer distances, all of the runners put forth impressive showings against their competition.

The race allowed the older runners to become more entrenched in their roles as leaders on this young team. The junior and senior athletes—who may not be used to or as interested in the idea of “pack mentality”—used their opportunity to teach the freshmen how to run as a team. The women’s top six had two freshmen and a sophomore among the finishers while the men had four underclassmen in their top 13. The kind of performance the underclassmen gave shows the type of leadership that the older runners are prepared to give to the teams.

“All our athletes executed the game plan perfectly. The ones who were in charge of the pace setting for the pack did a phenomenal job with that. They kept everyone together,” Moore said. “Everyone did their job and because of that we had great finishes all around.”

At their next few races—even though the Knights do not plan on having the same pack strategy—their goals remain the same. They want to have top finishers every time they go out on the race route. This is something that the teams should be able to do at any race the athletes are sent to.

“Every race we run, we go out there with a strategy,” Moore said. “It may not be the same one that we had this past weekend, but there’s always something we’re trying to do and if we can do that, then we always stand a shot at winning.”

A chance at a national championship is a real possibility. If the Knights can continue to perform as they have throughout the rest of the fall, then the rest of the country better be prepared.

Volleyball sweeps Keuka College in first home match

The Geneseo volleyball team had an impressive outing in their first home match on Tuesday Sept. 15, shutting out Keuka College 3-0. The Knights seemed to be in control the whole time, the closest sets being 25-14 in the first and third games. This game is definitely a great stepping-stone for the team as they head into conference play. Head coach Amber Dunn is confident that this is the start of something great. “I like home matches, as they bring a different aura to the team. I like how there are different emotions associated with playing in your own gym in front of your friends and family and that can help you out a lot,” she said. “Even with this being the first home game of the season, we still are treating it just like every other game and I fully expect our girls to be ready to give it their all.”

Geneseo got major contributions from seniors Paige Pendleton and Paige O’Connor. Pendleton had a game high of 12 kills—leading both teams—while O’Connor added 11 kills of her own. Other impressive statistics of the night came from junior Danielle Sayler—who had 14 digs—while senior outside hitter Lizzy Morton contributed 12 digs. Together, Sayler and Morton had to 26 of the Knights’ 48 digs.

With SUNYAC play right around the corner, Geneseo will look to continue their success on the road—they do not have another home game until Oct. 21. This means a lot of games on the road. The Knights have only had a record of 3-6 at neutral or away matches this season. Dunn said that this stretch will do the team good and will help with their intensity and determination to win.

“These next few weeks will be a great test for us to see where we stand … I think we have a chance to make some strides during this time and really show other teams that we can be competitive,” Dunn said. “We have been playing well together and if we can pull these pieces together, we can really do something special come tournament time.”

With the injury to junior outside hitter Tricia Baxley, other players have been forced to step up and contribute. Dunn emphasized the idea that this team can easily overcome adversity when it is needed.

“Our biggest key to success this season is the pass and serve game. We plan on doing that often, but we will not use it all the time. Different teams require a different strategy and from the scouting I have done so far, that is very clear,” she said. “Our team has a strong ‘next man up’ mentality, so when injuries occur and players go down, we know that other people will step up and provide us with the skills necessary to win.”

The Knights play on Friday Sept. 18 against Nazareth College at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Intramurals offer chance to build friendships, athleticism

As many Geneseo students look for ways to meet new people who share similar interests, the college's intramural sports program serves as a reminder that one does not have to be a varsity athlete to have fun playing in an organized sports league in college. Geneseo recreation coordinator Brooks Hawley does quite a bit of work to make sure that the leagues run smoothly for the benefit of the students.

"First, you have to advertise for the leagues, tournaments and off campus trips, then you need to have the deadline by which everyone gets their information in. After that, you have to train the referees for all of the sports that you offer,” Hawley said. “Then you have to hold the captain meetings where you hand out the rules and schedules. And between the deadlines and captain meetings, I actually make all of the schedules for men's, women's and co-ed divisions in each sport."

The school is offering intramural sports leagues for flag football, outdoor soccer, volleyball, badminton and pickleball this semester. According to Hawley, there are 25 football teams, 37 soccer teams, 42 volleyball teams and 31 badminton teams, each with at least several students. Even pickleball—a lesser-known sport that has only been offered for one year—has attracted enough students to form 12 teams.

For many students, the main justification to join an intramural sports league is to make friends and stay in shape.

"Intramurals was a great way for me to meet new people and to find people who were interested in the same stuff as me,” senior Jay Davine said. "It was nice to have intramurals to come to and to participate in to stay active.”

Another important benefit that applies specifically to team captains is the development of leadership qualities.

"To be a captain also requires leadership skills because you need to organize everyone and let everyone know the rules,” Hawley said. "Organizational skills are very important.”

By Hawley's estimate, approximately 50 percent of the student population participates in intramural leagues, tournaments or off-campus trips. Those off-campus trips—which are usually offered twice per semester—can also provide fun and unique experiences for students.

"This weekend we're having an off-campus trip to an adventure park where you can climb trees, zip line and go from tree-to-tree using different contraptions,” Hawley said.

A trip will be held later in the semester that takes students to a trampoline park. In the spring, skiing, snowboarding and whitewater rafting adventures have already been planned.

Intramural leagues should be strongly considered for those who are trying to make friends or simply avoid the “freshman 15.” Although there are some intense intramural tournaments, there are also less competitive co-ed leagues for each sport as well.

"It's a great way to meet new people,” Hawley said. "The more you get involved on campus, the more people you're going to meet. Being on a team builds a sense of camaraderie and togetherness. You feel the joy of a win or the pain of a loss with the members of your team."

Field Hockey pulls out close win vs Utica College

If anyone knows how to bring their team together, it’s field hockey head coach Jessica Seren. The energy that these women have—and their respect for each other—could make all the difference in the long run for the Knights. After welcoming 10 freshmen onto the team this season, Seren made sure to focus on forming a strong team dynamic—an essential cog for building a successful season. With a schedule full of talented teams ahead, this sense of cohesion on and off the field could be a huge advantage.

“We have really good leadership and have established a culture on our team that is very welcoming, so it is an easy transition for the freshmen. We brought in an organization to do a team-building workshop with us to help start our season off strong,” Seren said. “Optimal Performance Associates came in and did a day-long team building workshop for us where we did a lot of activities that were focused around trust and communication.”

Optimal Performance Associates is an organization that focuses on providing fun team-building workshops and seminars for groups who want to strengthen their sense of comradery, capitalizing on the idea that a successful team needs to have trust, respect, common goals and positivity between team members.

This strategy proved to be effective both on and off the field for the Knights. Not only did the women become closer as friends, but they also became a stronger team. Although they may not have gotten the results that they had wanted, they fought hard during their game against Skidmore College—currently ranked fifth in the country. The heart that was put into that match motivated the team members to push themselves harder in order to prove that they can play with the best.

“The freshmen have been a great addition to the team. We are really excited to have brought in such a large class, and they have come in and picked up right where we needed them to,” Seren said. “The transition has been smooth so far—and we have a couple of them who start, a couple of them who come off the bench and we’ve got the rest of them, who are solid role players for us at the time.”

With such an abundance of new players, the team is fresh and ready to go—full of new energy and skills. The upperclassmen and the utilization of OPA certainly helped the freshmen not only with the intensity of the college game, but also with the inevitable adjustment period that comes with the first year of college.

The advantages that the Knights have as a team in regards to both talent and support should help lead them to a successful season.

College football brings excitement to traditional game

Between the thousands of fans, competition and school spirit, college football has been popular for ages. With the high level of talent in the National Football League, however, the question of why people care so much about the college game surfaces. A few different reasons emerge. Many people who prefer college football have said that they find the NFL boring. This could be because they find everyone who plays at the professional level to be so good that the game becomes less of a display of athleticism and more of a reserved, fundamental display of experience.

In a sense, college football’s sloppy, fast-paced style of play is appealing to a large number of viewers. The average football game lasts about three hours and, within that time, the ball is in play for about 11 minutes. It makes sense for people to want those 11 minutes to be as full of action and excitement as possible. Many spectators feel that there is more action in college football than in the NFL.

There is also the alumni point of view. Many people have a lot of pride in where they attended college and for good reason—it’s where they spent years learning and bettering themselves. For this reason, it makes sense for a lot of people to continue to follow their college’s football team after they graduate. There is still a sense of pride that is rewarded with a team’s success.

This can be difficult if someone graduated from a small school, however. Only Division I games are televised for the most part and even then it only the most popular teams have their games broadcasted nationally. This leads one to believe that alumni pride is most likely not a large factor in college football’s appeal over the professional game.

As much as people love college football in its own right, it is mostly viewed as a gateway to the NFL. This being said, college football’s upbeat and risky style of play, overwhelming amount of spirit and amateur charm make it different from the NFL.

With this, it draws a lot of fans that seem to enjoy football for what it is: a great sport played at a high level.

Knights look forward with new coach

Geneseo’s volleyball program has had its share of up-and-down seasons. Now, Geneseo has hired a new head coach in Amber Dunn. Dunn has begun her first year at the helm of the Knights’ volleyball team and she could not be more excited about it.

“The expectations coming into the season were high because where I come from in the Midwest, volleyball is played all the time at an intense level,” Dunn said. “I am excited to see what the players bring to the table and I want them to give me everything they have—and I am going to give it my best.”

Dunn came to Geneseo after being the assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She left a team that was always a top contender in the NCAA Tournament, including reaching the Final Four the past two seasons. Dunn explained that this is a different challenge not only for her, but also for the players and the Geneseo community.

“In terms of where we are at, there are going to be a lot of changes, but we are well on our way to rebuilding the foundation of the program,” she said. “We want the community to know that this is a fresh start and that we are going to put our best effort out there every game of the season. It will not be easy, but we are ready for the obstacles ahead and it’s about finding our identity during this season to set the standard for the future.”

Dunn has a lot of returning players; there are only four freshmen and no sophomores. The rest of the roster is filled with experienced upper-class players. These players will also have to face the adjustment of a new coaching system, one that is drastically different than previous years’.

“The biggest difference between this year’s team and other teams I have been on is that players are used to the old way, so trying to get them to learn the new way can be difficult, but we are definitely getting there,” Dunn said. “The advanced skills are all there, but some of the foundation and fundamentals still need to be improved on until they are second nature.”

The Knights look to improve on an 18-9 record, but they lost seven out of 10 games at the end of the season. Conference play does not look any easier, but with players who are eager to learn and achieve and a coach steering them in the right direction, the Knights will be a team to look out for.

“I could not be more blessed with the players that I have. Every day, they show up with a positive attitude and show that they want to put the work in to be successful, which definitely makes my job a lot easier,” Dunn said. “I think this is a special team and I am excited just as much as the rest of the Geneseo community to see what we can accomplish this season.”

Out of Bounds: Patriots, Brady bring titles into question

Being a fan of sports, I tend to like any team out there that respects the game. Unfortunately, neither of those things can be said about Tom Brady.

Brady has been a quarterback in the National Football League since 2000 when the New England Patriots picked him in the sixth round. Since then, he has led his team to six Super Bowls, winning four of them. He will easily be a unanimous first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, having won two Most Valuable Player awards, three Super Bowl MVPs, been selected to the Pro Bowl 10 times and accumulating over 50,000 passing yards to date.

But it seems with every Super Bowl victory, there is a scandal surrounding it and that brings the legitimacy of the Patriots and Brady’s accomplishments into question.

From the “tuck rule” debacle during the 2002 NFL Playoffs when the officials ruled Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson’s strip sack as an incomplete pass to when members of the Patriots’ staff were seen recording practices of the New York Jets, it seems that every one of New England’s Super Bowls is tainted.

Most recently and prominently is the “Deflategate” controversy. Brady and the Patriots were accused of deflating 11 out of the 12 game balls that were used in an AFC Championship Game win against the Indianapolis Colts last January.

After an investigation, the Patriots’ organization was fined $25,000 and Brady was suspended four games. This prompted Brady to appeal the decision and both he and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ended up in Federal Court. There, Goodell’s original decision was overturned and Brady is allowed to play in every game this coming season.

What does this mean for the rest of the league? Well for starters, the Patriots’ first four games are against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys. With Brady out and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo supposed to be starting, these four teams assumed they would have an easy win. But with Brady back in the lineup, the Patriots have reassumed their role as the “bad guys” of the NFL as they’ve started to regain momentum and make a run at Super Bowl 50.

Field Hockey preps for repeat run at SUNYAC Title game

The Geneseo field hockey team is off to another great start, having played their first game at the New College Stadium. The turf stadium just opened this semester and teams—especially field hockey—are excited to get on it. Head coach Jess Seren explained that her team could not be more ecstatic about being on the new surface. “We knew going into the year we would be the first Geneseo field hockey team to play on this field, so we have been working hard to give people a glimpse of what they can expect from us,” she said. “We are blessed to have the opportunity to be on the field and with the talent our team possesses, I am excited to see what we can do.”

The new season also brings together a new team. The common goal, however, stays the same. The Knights were able to make it to the SUNYAC Tournament Championship last year, but came up short, losing to SUNY New Paltz 4-0. Seren noted that the team’s success will rely a lot on the energy that the underclassmen possess.

“Our underclassmen make up 17 of our 26 players this season, so we feed off their energy and enthusiasm every day in practice and that definitely translates over into the games,” she said. “The upperclassmen have done a great job of making sure these young players know what we are trying to accomplish and making sure everyone is on the same page. They provide the glue to our program and they really help behind the scenes to make sure everyone is coming together as one.”

The expectations for conference play this season seem to be just as high as last. Last year’s Knights’ team finished with a 9-12 record, but the team won six of their last 10 games—earning them a spot in the SUNYAC Championship.

“We designed our schedule this season to set us up for a tougher conference schedule that we know we are bound to face. We play a few nationally-ranked teams this year and they will really push us to bring our best,” Seren said. “If we can take one game at a time and keep fixing our mistakes and improve on them, then we can put ourselves to be in a position to successful just like we have done in previous years.”

Geneseo is looking for major contributions from senior goalie Dayna Mercer, who just became the school’s number one leader in saves Sunday Sept. 6 against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. They will also look to junior defender Liz Doherty and sophomore forward Cara Stafford to have major contributions this season. Although there are new members to this team, the tradition, value and commitment to winning are permanent, guiding principles. Seren expressed her optimism regarding her new team’s work ethic and talent.

“We established from the start that each practice and game is a learning process, and that if we do not focus on the wins and losses, then we can improve as a whole on the field and peak at the right time,” Seren said. “The team is very talented, so we need to focus on putting these talents together, and the outcome should be equal to last season.”

Women’s b-ball prepares for Wendy’s Classic

The Geneseo women’s basketball team will participate in the Wendy’s College Classic Tournament on Thursday Dec. 4 and Saturday Dec. 6 at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The Wendy’s Classic is a men’s and women’s tournament that involves eight Rochester-area schools. The teams attended a dinner on Sunday Nov. 30 and found out which teams they would be playing against. The tournament is in its 49th year—the largest and longest-running Division III tournament in the nation. Head coach Scott Hemer noted that he likes the team’s chances in the tournament and uses their success or failure as a benchmark for the rest of the season.

“We have gone with the theme this year of ‘play like a champion today,’” Hemer said. “We have a great opportunity to showcase our talent as well as play some great teams in our area. I hope our players are taking the mindset that these are just three games and we have to … give it our all each game.”

Geneseo has been in the finals of the Wendy’s Classic the past two seasons, losing to the University of Rochester in 2012 and last season to Roberts Wesleyan College. The Knights are the third seed in this year’s tournament—something that definitely plays in their favor.

The Wendy’s Classic is now one of the first events of the college basketball year, but this was not always the case. The tournament used to be played in the spring semester. Hemer noted that the tournament timing is perfect right where it is.

“I like playing the tournament now, it is a good measuring stick to wrap up the semester,” Hemer said. “It is definitely a challenge playing three games in six days, but I think it is good to get our feet wet this early in the season.”

The Knights have always prided themselves on the defensive side of the ball and, according to Hemer, have done “exceptionally well” at it. A prime example from this season is when they held Whitman College, ranked seventh in the nation, to just 52 points. On top of that, Whitman has a preseason All-American on its team in senior guard Heather Johns, who was held to only nine points. Johns has averaged 16.8 points per game so far this season.

Hemer emphasized that his team will have to maintain a similar focus to take home the tournament title. “Defense and rebounding, we hang our hat on those two things and that is what we aim for each game and it is certainly not going to change,” he said. “We have had some very good defensive efforts and although we have a long way to go in rebounding, our players will become more committed to it and we should just keep improving every day.”

Women’s basketball off to solid start

The Geneseo women’s basketball team kicked off the season on Saturday Nov. 15 and Sunday Nov. 16 in an exciting fashion. Their first game was part of the Damon’s/Hampton Inn Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Wilmington College of Ohio. The Knights defeated the national runner-up in the NCAA Tournament––ranked seventh as of Nov. 4––Whitman College on Sat. Nov 15 by a score of 64-52. The Knights advanced to the championship game, where they were handed their first loss by host Wilmington, 75-68.

The Knights are hoping to make it back to the SUNYAC Tournament Championship. They’ve made it there each of the last three seasons, winning the Championship in 2011. Geneseo is led by senior forward Shannon McGinnis, who is a returning SUNYAC All-Conference first-team selection. McGinnis averaged 15 points per game in the 2013-2014 season, as well as 9.5 rebounds per game. Her ability to rebound and score inside, as well as shoot from beyond the arc—shooting at a rate of .304—makes her a dangerous weapon against other teams.

In the middle for Geneseo is junior forward Allison McKenna. McKenna was a second-team All-Conference SUNYAC selection. Standing at 6 foot 2, McKenna is one of the most dominating forces in the conference. Averaging 11 points per game in the 2013-2014 season and 7.3 rebounds per game, she is a consistent threat in the low post.

The most impressive part about McKenna’s game is her shot-blocking ability. McKenna averaged a SUNYAC-best 2.2 blocks per game last season, which broke her own school record for blocks in a season by two with 61. She also became the Knights’ career leader in rejections with 120 at the end of her sophomore season. McKenna ranked 10th in the conference in rebounds with 7.3 rebounds per game and 19th in points with 11 points per game.

In the backcourt is junior guard Dana Cohan, who is a third-team All-SUNYAC selection. Cohen averaged 10.1 points per game for Geneseo in the 2013-2014 season and also was third in the conference with 4.1 assists per game. She also shot almost 40 percent from beyond the arc.

The Knights will have their work cut out for them, as many of the other teams in the conference have returning players and depth off the bench. Geneseo has help from the likes of senior center Katie Peterson, who can shoot the threes, as well as sophomore guards Bridgit Ryan and Kayleigh Cavanaugh, who will contribute from long range as well.

Geneseo has the experience of winning in the conference, which will be a huge factor down the stretch—the team finished 13-5 in the SUNYAC last season. The Knights will look to make it back to the NCAA Tournament. Geneseo will play its next game at home versus Juniata College on Saturday Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.

Field hockey season ends with championship loss

The Geneseo field hockey team’s playoff run came to a screeching halt when the team lost the SUNYAC Tournament Championship to third-seeded SUNY New Paltz on Saturday Nov. 8. While the final score was 4-0, it did not reflect the fight the Knights put up. This game followed the Knights knocking off top-seeded SUNY Cortland in the semifinals on Nov. 5 by a score of 2-1. Although the season is now over, head coach Jess Seren could not be happier with the way her team played. “The game was closer than the score indicates and we were just not able to execute offensively, which is something that hurt us earlier in the season,” Seren said. “New Paltz was able to capitalize and [New Paltz’s] junior goalkeeper Alayna Wageman played one of her best games of the season, getting named the SUNYAC Tournament MVP.”

This game gave the Knights a final record of 9-12 in a season that no one expected them to get to the SUNYAC Tournament, let alone the championship game. Geneseo was able to beat the odds and to get to that game. Seren thinks that this game was a turning point for her team.

“It’s the second time we have made it to the championship since I have been here,” she said. “To make it to the final game as underdogs really gives us positive momentum going into spring season. We went into the tournament with nothing to lose.”

The Knights will have a spring ball season—a few games in March and April where they are allowed to practice and play against other collegiate teams of their choosing. This will be a good time to get some of the under classmen onto the field and to let them get game experience before next season.

There are three players coming back who were named All-SUNYAC selections. Junior forward Sarah Malinak and freshman midfielder Morgan Maley landed first-team selections while junior goalie Dayna Mercer earned second-team selection. Seren is confident that with these three back, her team is in a good place for next season.

“These three were recognized with this honor because of their consistency. That is one of the biggest things for us; they put us in positions to win games,” Seren said. “They might not have had the highest stats in the conference, but their hard work and leadership helped us get to the position in the tournament.”

The Knights close out the season as the SUNYAC runner-up and will look to make a run at the third championship in the program’s history next season.

Field hockey upsets Cortland, goes to championship

The Geneseo field hockey team upset the top-seeded SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on Wednesday Nov. 5 by a final score of 2-1. The Knights’ two goals came from junior midfielder Elena Hingston and freshman forward and midfielder Cara Stafford. Cortland tacked on a goal late in the game to make it 2-1, but Geneseo was in control the whole time. Head coach Jess Seren said that she was extremely confident before the game and has faith in her team’s ability and commitment.

“We are excited and ready to play,” Seren said. “We are going in knowing that postseason play is a whole different ball game. All other regular season scores do not matter and we have a different mentality now than we did before. Our players know what we have to accomplish and hopefully we can get it done.”

The Knights had only eight shots on goal, while Cortland put up 20. The defense was able to step up and create stops, which is exactly what the Knights needed to do in order to win the game.

“I wanted us to be able to walk away from that game and say we played our hardest, and we left it all out there,” Seren said. “If we want to advance to future games, we need to play to the best of our ability on both ends of the field.”

Geneseo was able to do just that with junior goalie Dayna Mercer making an impressive 13 saves. She only allowed one goal—a misplaced ball that trickled into the back of the net.

It was an impressive win for a team that was 8-11 up until that point, beating a tough Cortland team that came into the game with a 14-2 record. The Knights will now have a chance to get a bid to the NCAA tournament if they can win the SUNYAC Championship on Saturday Nov. 8 at SUNY New Paltz.

“With our tough strength of schedule and playing six top 10-ranked teams, this is what we have prepared for,” Seren said. “Our team is using those games to really build off of what we have been trying to do all season, and that is to win a SUNYAC Championship.”

The Knights will take on New Paltz on Saturday Nov. 8 at New Paltz at 1 p.m. The winner of that game will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Field hockey squeaks into tournament

The Geneseo field hockey team defeated SUNY Oswego on Saturday Oct. 25, securing them the fourth seed in the upcoming SUNYAC tournament. The Knights will be squaring up against the top-seeded SUNY Cortland on Nov. 5. The two-seed is SUNY Oneonta and the three-seed is SUNY New Paltz. Geneseo will have a tough, uphill battle against these teams, but head coach Jess Seren thinks her team is more than ready for the challenge. “Playoffs are always exciting because you can take seeding out of the picture,” Seren said. “Every team knows what is on the line and mentally, you go in with more urgency. Even though we had a tough game with Cortland during the regular season, we feel OK about playing them in the first round because we know we did not play our best last time.”

The one issue for the Knights will be fatigue. They had a tough, double overtime loss to Ithaca College on Tuesday Oct. 28. The Knights also took down St. John Fisher College 2-1 on Wednesday Oct. 29 and they play a game at nationally-ranked University of Rochester on Saturday Nov. 1. They play these three games within five days of each other, which could be a significant factor going into the SUNYAC playoffs.

“I think mentally our team is in a good place right now and they are focused on playing these last three games to prepare for our playoff game,” Seren said. “We are not overlooking these teams by any means, but again, we are using these games as a last chance to prepare for a postseason run.”

Geneseo is going to have its work cut out for it when the team travels to face Cortland. The defense has been strong all year, but Seren believes that offense will win them games.

“We need to make sure we are smarter in the circle and capitalizing on the chances and opportunities that we get,” Seren said. “Especially when we play tougher defensive teams, we need to find other ways to score and to take advantage of the breaks in defense to run our plays.”

With the Knights split almost evenly between upper and underclassmen, there will be many questions as to how the team will prepare for SUNYAC play.

“There [are] pros and cons to being a younger team in postseason play,” Seren said. “Where you might not have the experience factor, you make up in excitement of not knowing what to expect and going out and playing hard.”

The Knights final tune-up at UOR takes place on Saturday Nov. 1 before taking on the Cortland Red Dragons at Cortland on Nov. 5.

Field Hockey has shot at playoffs

With its season coming to a close, the Geneseo field hockey team looks to make one last effort at securing the fourth seed in the SUNYAC tournament. There is just one conferenc game left—at SUNY Oswego on Saturday Oct. 25. Even at the end of the season, head coach Jess Seren says the game plan will remain unchanged. “It has been a season of trying to improve every day and every game, and we have to keep that going to round our season out, especially because the fourth and final seed in the SUNYAC is still up for grabs,” Seren said. “We are going to keep doing what we’re doing and finish the season out looking to improve one game at a time.”

The other top seeds are already locked in––SUNY New Paltz at the three seed, SUNY Oneonta at the two seed and SUNY Cortland with the number one seed. The Knights are currently fourth, but in order to secure their spot they need to win against the Lakers. If the Knights are able to win, they will then take on Cortland, who they lost to 6-0 on Oct. 17.

“The good thing about coming up against them again is we just played them,” Seren said. “I believe the score did not [represent] as big a discrepancy in our skill level as it may seem. We can use that recent game to make adjustments and hopefully be more competitive with them.”

Seren said that she wants a combination of both tough and relaxed practices.

“Walking away from the Cortland game, we know we did not play our best,” Seren said. “Practices are just going to be reminders to stay focused on the goal. We just have to make sure that with the season on the line in the playoffs that we are playing our absolute best from start to finish.”

The Knights take on Oswego Saturday Oct. 25 in the fight for the fourth seed.