An hour-long battle ended in an overtime loss for Yellowjackets field hockey.
From the first whistle, UR Field Hockey kept the pressure on SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. The Yellowjackets took shot after shot, and turned every attempt at a counter-attack around instantly. Despite a 9–0 lead in shots, the Yellowjackets had nothing to show for it. The score remained 0–0, largely due to solid play from the opposing goalie. A breakaway counter-attack from the Red Dragons led to the first score of the game, but the Yellowjackets quickly countered with a goal by senior captain Colleen Mailie. Another attack from SUNY Cortland was fended off by skillful defensive play and an excellent save from senior goalkeeper Kate Kujawa to end the half tied at 1 goal apiece.
After a stalemate in the third quarter, the Red Dragons took the lead early in the fourth. This remained unanswered until Mailie popped the ball up into the air for sophomore midfielder Leona Fisher to redirect for a goal, tying the game at 2. A soaring shot from the Red Dragons to retake the lead was answered by sophomore attacker Amanda Strenk with a solo goal in under 30 seconds. Another impressive showing from the SUNY Cortland goalkeeper held off one more Rochester attack to send the game into overtime.
After a few tense minutes of back and forth action all over the field, a diving save from the Red Dragons goalie set up a SUNY Cortland counter-attack. Kujawa came out of the goal to make a fantastic save, knocking the ball into the air only for it to bounce off the back of her helmet, setting up the Red Dragons forward to step up and take a shot on an open goal for a sudden death victory. The final score was 4–3 SUNY Cortland, sending the Yellowjackets to a 2–2 record on the season.
Despite dominating possession for most of the game, the Yellowjackets failed to convert their 25 shots in regulation time into more than 3 goals, while the opposition managed to do so with only 5 shots. There is still time for Coach Wendy Andreatta to lead the team to a fifth straight NCAA Division III tournament, and to win the Liberty League for the second time in three years. With solid coaching and leadership, this game may just be a bump in the road for the Yellowjackets on their way to another strong season. UR Field Hockey will spend the next two weeks on the road, playing Utica College, Tufts University, and New Paltz before they return home to play Nazareth College.
