The UR field hockey team went 2-0 during play over Meliora Weekend. They finished their Liberty League season by beating Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Vassar College. The ‘Jackets finished league play with a 3-4 record, good for a fifth place finish. The Yellowjackets now have a record of 10-6.
On Saturday, UR downed Vassar 6-1. The ‘Jackets opened up the scoring less than a minute and a half into the game at 1:24. Senior defender/midfielder Alicia Citro sent a pass to sophomore forward Lara Bucary, who stepped to the side of a Vassar defender and sent her ninth goal of the season into the net to get the Yellowjackets on the board first.
Citro powered the second goal of the game and her second goal of the season into the cage at 3:31. She scored UR’s third goal of the match unassisted in the 13th minute of play. Sophomore defender/midfielder Christi Bottcher extended the ‘Jackets lead in the 25th minute of the game with the fourth goal. Bucary netted her second goal of the game in the 49th minute to make it 5-0.
In the 59th minute against Vassar, sophomore forward Kyra Pinsky made it 6-0 chipping in with her first goal of the season, assisted by Bottcher. Senior Rachel Cahan started the first half in goal, making three saves and allowing one goal.
Senior goalkeeper Robin Levy started the second half in goal making one save and letting none by. The Yellowjackets outshot Vassar 14-5 and held a 5-0 advantage in penalty corners.
Before the game, the team recognized field hockey’s five seniors for their contributions over the past four years. Cahan, Citro, Levy, midfielder Kari Plewniak and defender Rana Pedram have all been integral to the team’s successes in their four-year tenure. Cahan has started in goal all four years of her college career and has racked up 13 shutouts. Plewniak, a presence in the midfield, has scored 11 goals over her career.
“Our five seniors have done a tremendous job this season. Kari Plewniak leads with great emotion and skill and quarterbacks our team. Alicia Citro plays with heart and consistency and will do whatever it takes to win. Our goalkeeper, Rachel Cahan, has tremendous abilities and anchors our defense. Rana Pedram has done very well in the backfield and plays hard every practice and game. Our other senior goalkeeper, Robin Levy, is always ready to get into the game and has stepped in to preserve our victories with her strong play. This group has had a great four years and will leave a strong foundation for the younger players to learn from and build upon,” head coach Wendy Andreatta said.
On Friday, the ‘Jackets dismantled Rensselaer with a 1-0 victory. RPI controlled most of play in the first half of the game by forcing five penalty corners in the first five minutes of play.
Bucarey broke the scoreless deadlock, scoring the Yellowjackets’ only goal of the game in the 28th minute of play off of a rebound on a penalty corner. This was her eighth goal of the season. Cahan made the difference in goal, deflecting RPI’s many attacks. She had 10 saves, allowing zero goals for her second complete game shutout of the season. RPI outshot UR 14-9 and led 11-6 in penalty corners.
On Wednesday, Oct. 17, the Yellowjackets were shut out by the Ithaca College Bombers, losing 2-0 on the road. Ithaca scored two goals in the first 19 minutes of play and outshot UR 11-8, while the ‘Jackets had a 10-5 advantage in penalty corners. Cahan made seven saves, letting two slip by into the wood.
Bucarey scored two goals in the game against Vassar and leads the team with a total of 12 goals so far this season.
“Lara [Bucary] is having a breakout season. Her speed on the dribble and ability to shoot around the goalkeeper are her greatest assets. She is playing so well right now -her confidence and poise improve with each game and I am excited to have two more years with Lara as she will only continue to get better and better,” Andreatta said.
Levy is a member of the class of 2008.
