Field hockey maintains momentum

The Geneseo field hockey team kicked off SUNYAC play on Saturday Sept. 20 with an impressive 7-2 victory over SUNY Morrisville. This five-goal differential was the largest winning margin of the season for the Knights, whose record sits at 3-5. “We started off the season with a really tough schedule, playing a lot of teams in the top 10, and also teams on AstroTurf, which for us was a big transition going from our grass field,” head coach Jess Seren said. “We are putting in the work everyday and we are getting better as a team and to finally see a favorable outcome such as that … was really good for our team morale going into, and starting, our conference play.”

The key player in that match was freshman forward Emma Dempsey. Standing at only 4-foot-11, she certainly is not the biggest player on the field by any means, but her two goals and two assists had a large impact on the outcome of the Morrisville game.

“[Dempsey] and the other first-year players have been contributing on offense for us,” Seren said. “Going into conference play we are still going to look to them to be aggressive on the attack and to be either a playmaker for us or put numbers on the board.”

The Knights’ roster consists of an almost even balance of upperclassmen and underclassmen, which Seren credits for how well the team handles high-pressure situations.

“There was definitely an expectation from the upperclassmen as far as stepping into those leadership roles that we lost,” Seren said. “I do not tend to differentiate roles between classes. The returning players have game experience, but I want the incoming freshmen, especially with the talent we have, to feel integrated right from the start.”

SUNYAC play is important because the winner of each conference gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, regardless of record. That’s what Seren is focusing on.

“I don’t want to measure our success based on our record because when you look at a 3-5 start, it tends to not look favorable,” she said. “But when you look at the teams we have played … it will really help us make a statement in the playoffs.”

The Knights will look to stay undefeated in SUNYAC play on Sunday Sept. 28 when they take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Win over Vassar could spark field hockey

After a subpar start, the Geneseo field hockey team pulled off a huge upset over previously undefeated Vassar College 2-1. The Knights, who were 1-4 going into the game played at SUNY Brockport, finally played a full game. “We put two complete halves together,” head coach Jessica Seren said. “We hadn’t done that in the last two games. We came out from the start and we played hard from the first whistle to the last whistle.”

Geneseo jumped out to an early lead thanks to a goal in the 16th minute from sophomore defender Liz Doherty—a Second Team All-SUNYAC selection last season. Junior forward Kailey Suhr added a goal off of a cross from junior forward Sarah Malinak with less than 10 minutes left in the first half. A First Team All-SUNYAC selection in 2013, Malinak now has four assists this season.

This was the first time this season that Vassar had allowed more than one goal in a game. In fact, the Brewers hadn’t allowed a goal in their previous four games before facing Geneseo.

The Brewers did not go without their chances. Sophomore midfielder Emma Bracken had two shots right in front of the goal for Vassar in the 31st minute. Junior goalkeeper Dayna Mercer was able to save both opportunities.

This season has been tough for Geneseo. After graduating eight seniors last year and playing all of their games on the road so far this season, it was important to get a win over a quality team.

“We had been playing some tough competition up until [the game against Vassar],” Seren said. “We were really looking to … put all the things we’d been learning and working on into that game.”

With non-conference play all but over, the Knights now need to refocus and continue to play complete games. Though the team's record may not show it, Geneseo has the talent to get into the SUNYAC Tournament. The four home games in October, should only help their cause.

Geneseo opens up SUNYAC play on Saturday Sept. 20 against SUNY Morrisville, a team that has only won one game this season.

After Loss, field hockey able to split tournament

Coming off a 7-0 loss to Salisbury University on Friday Aug. 29 to start the season, the Geneseo field hockey team bounced back the next day to beat Union College 3-2. Freshman Emma Dempsey scored the game-winner in overtime in the 83rd minute.Head coach Jess Seren said the team needs to come together in order to continue its success. “We graduated eight seniors last year and six started, so there is a lot of growth in the area of getting used to playing with each other,” Seren said. One characteristic that could define the team this year is its youth. The Knights have just five seniors on their roster and six juniors. Seren hopes that junior forward Sarah Malinak will be able to set an example for the younger players on offense. “[I expect Malinak] to pick up where she left off last season in terms of being a big offensive threat for us and producing a lot of goals,” she said. “She’s … one of the most experienced on the front line.” Up front, Geneseo is very inexperienced. Malinak, a 2013 first team all-SUNYAC selection, is one of only two upperclassmen at the forward position. There are only three more at midfield. “We’re starting four freshman this season, so we’re…looking to [Malinak] to kind of lead the way offensively,” Seren said. Seren acknowledged that despite having such a small number of upperclassmen, the Knights have clearly defined leaders. “Senior captain Ashley Favata and junior captain Elena Hingston have done a really good job so far with their leadership on and off the field,” she said. With regards to defense, Seren still hopes that the veteran players will be able to inspire the younger girls, particularly sophomore mid back Liz Doherty and junior goalie Dayna Mercer. Geneseo is coming off of a 13-7 season in which the team finished second in the SUNYAC regular season standings. That kind of success may be tough to duplicate with such an inexperienced squad, but Seren is confident in her players’ abilities. “[I expect us] to be competitive every game and progress throughout the season,” she said. “The team needs to use [its] non-conference schedule as a chance to get ready for conference play.” Between the youth factor and the aggressive play that is expected from the front line, the Knights will be an interesting team to watch during SUNYAC play. Of course, these things could make the team prone to mistakes early on. Another high-seeded trip to the SUNYACs would make this season a success overall. Geneseo plays at Skidmore College on Saturday, Sept. 6 and at William Smith College on Sept. 10.

Field hockey out after first playoff game

For the second year in a row, Geneseo’s field hockey team could not win its first game of the SUNYAC tournament. The Knights went into the match as the second seed, but come playoff time, especially in a tough division, anyone can win.

On Saturday Nov. 8, Geneseo faced SUNY New Paltz in the semifinals. The Eagles jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, beating Geneseo 3-1 and subsequently ending the Knights’ season.

New Paltz eventually took the entire championship title after beating SUNY Cortland the next day.

Geneseo’s season came to a close with a final record of 13-7 and a second place regular season finish in the conference.

“It’s important that we don’t let this season’s ending loss define what we’ve done all year,” head coach Jess Seren said. “It was the toughest schedule we’ve played in the six seasons I’ve been here. This group has a lot to be proud of.”

The Knights will enter the next season as a considerably different team. Eight seniors will graduate, including Kayla DeAngelis, who set the single-season record for points, and standout defensive player Bridget McGovern. DeAngelis and McGovern’s performance this year, as well as senior Katie Farley and sophomore Sarah Malinak was good enough to earn them a spot on the all-SUNYAC first team.

Senior Kerry Hosford and freshman Liz Doherty were placed on the second team.

Seren sees the losses as an interesting challenge for the upcoming season.

“It will definitely change the dynamic of the team – one player has the ability to do that, let alone eight. But that’s part of the fun of it. We will make adjustments based on who we have coming back and who we have coming in and be ready to go just like we do every year,” Seren said.

Though the team is losing about a third of its roster, numerous starters who had breakout years will return. Sophomore Dayna Mercer followed up her SUNYAC Rookie of the Year achievement with another strong year as goalie, tallying five shutout matches during the season. On offense, sophomore Sarah Malinak excelled, finishing the year with 21 goals and six assists.

While the season comes to an end after coming so close to the title, Seren can only look back with fondness.

“I’ll remember the growth and progress of this team from the start of preseason throughout the course of the fall,” she said. “What they accomplished and how much they’ve grown since August has been significant. They’re such a pleasure to work with, and I’ve never had more fun watching a team in practice or in games. To have been able to be a part of such a special group has been an honor for me.”

Record setting weekend for field hockey

The Geneseo field hockey team has ended regular season play with a record of 13-6-1, and will now begin its quest for a SUNYAC championship title. The record that Geneseo built this season is a reflection of the players on the roster. The Knights have benefited from stellar defensive plays lead by senior Bridget McGovern and goalie sophomore Dayna Mercer. On offense, sophomore Sarah Malinak has emerged as a consistent goal-scoring threat, and senior Kayla DeAngelis has led the Knights with a record-setting year.

DeAngelis established single-season records with 59 points and 24 goals in the regular season. She eclipsed the old record of 43 points set by Michelle Milkovich ‘11 in 2010.  Previously, DeAngelis’ own record was 17 goals, scored during the 2011 campaign.

Geneseo faced University of Rochester, ranked 18th in the country on Saturday Nov. 2. After falling behind 3-2, the Knights answered with four consecutive goals, three of which DeAngelis scored. The Knights won 6-4.

DeAngelis’ nine total points eclipsed the Knights’ single-game record of eight scored by Leslie Howlett ‘03 in the 2001 season. It was also the second time a Geneseo player has scored four goals in one game.

The season wasn’t over, and DeAngelis wasn’t done scoring goals. On Tuesday Nov. 5, in the final regular season match against Ithaca College, the Knights cruised to a 5-1 victory behind two goals and an assist from the record-setting forward.

“[DeAngelis’] ability to finish in the circle this year has been so impressive,” head coach Jess Seren said. “Her speed allows her to beat defenders, so not only does she work to free herself up for the shot, but she’s able to set her teammates up, which is why she leads the team in assists as well.”

The second-seeded Knights will take on third-seeded SUNY New Paltz on Friday Nov. 8 in the semifinals of the SUNYAC tournament hosted by SUNY Cortland.

Seren hopes the players’ season will continue in stellar fashion as they approach the upcoming playoff game.

“At this point in the season, we are who we are. We aren’t looking to make any major changes,” Seren said. “We want to focus on our style of play and executing our game plan. We have the opportunity in practice to go out there and fine tune some things but, more importantly, we want to keep doing what we’re doing, which is playing really good field hockey.”

Field hockey to face New Paltz in playoffs

The Geneseo field hockey team hosted Nazareth College on Saturday Oct. 26 in its last home game of the season. The story from the day comes from the Knights’ defense, as it did not allow the Golden Flyers to take a shot. The defense “applied pressure and really dictated the flow of the game,” head coach Jess Seren said.

The Knights scored early on with a goal by senior Kayla DeAngelis and never looked back. DeAngelis finished the game with two goals along with sophomore Sarah Malinak, who tallied two of her own and was named SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts. With a 6-0 win, the Knights ended their final home game on a high note.

Even though this game was nonconference, the SUNYAC standings were finalized over the weekend. With a 5-1 conference record, Geneseo grabbed second place behind SUNY Cortland, the Knights’ only conference loss.

The Knights have a tough challenge ahead of them as they face SUNY New Paltz in the first round of the SUNYAC tournament on Nov. 8. The Knights beat the Hawks 2-1 in their match earlier this season.

“There is an entirely different mindset involved when it comes to playoffs with much more on the line,” Seren said. “New Paltz won the tournament last year and went to the NCAA tournament. They know what it takes and know how to win but we’ll be ready to go. I think it’s going to be a great match up against two strong teams.”

The past two seasons Geneseo has lost in the first round of the tournament to Cortland. If the Knights win the first game of the tournament they will advance to the championship, where a potential rematch against Cortland could take place.

Before the playoffs begin, Geneseo still has three more away games.

“Each of the three teams we face is a chance for us to better ourselves as a whole,” Seren said. “We want to keep the momentum going into playoffs, so it’s important we don’t overlook any of them and continue to take care of business.”

The Knights will take on the University of Rochester at 1 p.m. Saturday Nov. 2.

Editor’s note:

The field hockey team won 5-2 in a nonleague game against St. John Fisher College on Oct 30. Senior Kayla DeAngelis set the single-season point record with her goal on the day.

Field hockey team unable to take down rival SUNY Cortland

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.

Field hockey starts SUNYAC 3-0

The start of SUNYAC conference games can be a make-or-break time for teams, but for the Geneseo field hockey team, the weekend games helped determine its status as an elite SUNY team. The first game on Sept. 27 against defending SUNYAC champions SUNY New Paltz was a statement match. Led by SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Week senior Kayla DeAngelis, the Knights were able to fight back from an early deficit to defeat the Hawks 2-1.

“This season, our approach is to take one game at a time, and the same holds true for our SUNYAC matches,” head coach Jess Seren said. “The team understands the importance of each game, which is good. It’s important to know what’s on the line and what you’re playing for. It fuels them.”

The Knights faced another difficult challenge when playing SUNY Oneonta the next day, Saturday Sept. 28. Similar to New Paltz, the Red Dragons were a top-SUNYAC team the previous season, going 4-2 in the conference. A first-place standing was on the line for the Knights, who needed to go 2-0 on the weekend.

The match was a back-and-forth struggle until the Knights scored two in a row to pull ahead 6-5. Oneonta was only able to muster one more goal in the match, as sophomore goalkeeper Dayna Mercer withstood multiple scoring opportunities.

“Starting off 2-0 in the conference is huge, especially when it’s two of the top teams in the SUNYAC. It makes a strong statement and sets the tone for the rest of the season,” Seren said. “It doesn’t take the pressure off – it raises the bar but, more importantly, it gives us momentum and confidence going forward, which is only going to help us reach the goals we’ve set out to achieve.”

Without home field advantage, many teams might struggle to find the momentum to bounce back without the support of familiar faces or territory. The Knights proved last weekend that this is not the case for them.

“Being on the road always poses its challenges – even more so with field hockey because of the different surfaces you play on,” Seren said. “Different skill sets and strategies are required for each, so it’s important that we recognize what those are and then make the appropriate adjustments quickly so our focus can be on executing our game plan.”

On Tuesday Oct. 1, Geneseo continued its streak, as the team scored seven goals within the first 20 minutes of play, cruising to a dominant 8-0 victory over Morrisville State College. With the win, the Knights remain undefeated in the SUNYAC.

Field hockey coach Jess Seren continues success at Geneseo

Jess Seren, head coach of the Geneseo field hockey team, knows a thing or two about success in the sport. In her sixth year as head coach for the Knights, Seren has led the Knights to the SUNYAC tournament the past three years. As the most-winning coach in the program’s history, Seren has shown her ability to transform the Knights into powerhouses in the SUNYAC conference. It was just one word that drew Seren to field hockey.

“I loved ice hockey growing up, and since our school didn’t offer that sport, I decided to choose what I thought was the next best thing: something with the word hockey in it,” she said.

She quickly found success in the sport and continued her playing career at SUNY Cortland. There, she was a four-year starter before graduating in 2006. While playing for Cortland, she earned second team All-Region from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on three occasions, was a three-time All-SUNYAC selection and was the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year in 2002.

During her four years, the Red Dragons made the NCAA tournament four times. But it was Seren’s fifth trip there that was the most special. This time she was on the sidelines, coaching the 2010 Knights team to its first tournament berth.

“My greatest accomplishment here at Geneseo has been winning the conference and going to the NCAA tournament back in 2010,” Seren said. “There are many teams and coaches who don’t get a chance to experience either throughout their careers, so I feel extremely fortunate, and it’s something I will never forget.

“Understanding your team from year to year and making the necessary adjustments is a challenge that presents itself every season,” she added. “No team is ever the same, so you have to constantly be able to adapt and figure out what works best given what you have. It’s a big puzzle, and watching the pieces come together and fall into place each season is what makes coaching so fun and rewarding.”

The Knights stand at 3-3 going into conference play, and Seren said she remains hopeful for this team.

“Winning the SUNYAC title is a goal of ours every year, but we understand that in order to get there, we have to take it one day and game at a time,” she said.

Field hockey wins first game, DeAngelis with hat trick

The Geneseo field hockey team returned to action over Labor Day weekend and is looking to repeat the success of its 2012 campaign. The Knights are looking to improve on a 2012 season when they went 12-6 and finished tied for first place in the SUNYAC regular-season standings. This allowed the Knights to reach the SUNYAC semifinals, where they eventually lost to SUNY Cortland.

Since becoming head coach of the Knights in 2008, Jessica Seren has led the team to some of its most successful seasons. The team has reached the SUNYAC tournament for three consecutive years in the past three years.

Sixteen players return to the team this season, including senior captains Katie Farley, Kerry Hosford and Bridget McGovern. McGovern earned first team on the North Atlantic Region all-star team and All-SUNYAC honors in 2012. Sophomore goalie Dayna Mercer returns looking her best after her rookie campaign, in which she achieved second team All-SUNYAC. Joining Mercer with a SUNYAC second team pick is senior Kayla DeAngelis, who led the team with 25 points in 2012.

“Given our strength of schedule this season, we’re looking to just take things one game at a time and focus on being competitive with our opponents,” Seren wrote in an email. “It’s important that each time we step off the field, we are a little better than the day before. Doing those [things] should put us in a good position to make it back to the SUNYAC playoffs.”

Geneseo faced the fifth-ranked team in the region Salisbury University on Friday Aug. 30 for its first match in the Wilkes Tournament. The Knights kept the fight close for a while, trailing 1-0 at the half, but were unable to make a comeback and eventually fell to the Sea Gulls, 5-0.

Geneseo was back at it the next day, looking to close out the weekend with a victory over the hosting Wilkes University Colonels. The Knights fell behind early as Wilkes scored the first goal of the match just over a minute into the game. DeAngelis answered with a goal of her own before scoring another two en route to her first hat trick of the season. McGovern, Hosford and sophomores Sarah Malinak and Elena Hingston also added goals, as Geneseo defeated Wilkes, 7-2.

“The first weekend of games [was] good for us. We were tested right out of the gates and were able to recognize areas for improvement,” Seren said. “At the same time, we were able to draw a lot of positives from them which we’ll build upon as we look to move forward in our young season.”

Geneseo, now 1-1, plays again with a road match at Washington & Jefferson College (2-0) Saturday Sept. 7 and another away match at William Smith College (1-0) on Tuesday Sept. 10.