This weekend, the UR field hockey team hosted both Hamilton College and St. Lawrence University in Fauver Stadium. The ‘Jackets were strong in both games and came out 1-1 for the weekend.
UR played Hamilton on Saturday, and it was an explosive start to the weekend. UR fought hard to beat 6-6 Hamilton by a score of 3-0. Hamilton is one of six teams left in the playoff hunt. Senior defender Erica Gelb put UR in the lead at 19:41. Gelb slipped the ball past Hamilton goaltender Courtney DeMaria from 6 yards out.
For over 25 minutes, play was back and forth with no goals. UR controlled possession for a majority of the time and constantly put pressure on Hamilton’s back lines. DeMaria made six saves in goal for Hamilton. For the Yellowjackets, junior goalie Danielle Pearson made six saves to shut out all Hamilton attempts.
Freshman Allison Beardsley scored two goals in the second half at 45:54 and 64:53. Her first goal was off a shot from 10 yards out. Her second was made off a pass from senior midfielder Katie Moll. Hamilton had the advantage on penalty corners, 7-3, but the UR offense was the difference in this game a strong passing game and constant teamwork led UR to the win.
On Sunday, UR hosted St. Lawrence. UR held the momentum from Saturday’s game, but St. Lawrence came to play, as well. Possession was equally distributed between the teams, with most play focused in the midfield area. The game was intense, possession was constantly changing and there were a lot of shot opportunities for both teams.
UR took the lead early in the second half and seemed to be in control. But St. Lawrence came on strong, determined not to let UR have the last word. With just over 15 minutes remaining, St. Lawrence tied it up.
At the end of regulation, the game was tied. St. Lawrence’s Emily Riley tipped a pass from Brooke Maloney just less than three minutes into sudden-death overtime to win it for her team.
St. Lawrence goaltender Emilie Lannamann had eight saves Sunday, including one with just four minutes left in the game that preserved the tie.
Pearson played with intent and determination in goal for UR. She had five great saves, including one impressive save off a penalty corner from St. Lawrence’s Jennifer Stetson. Neither team could get its offense past the opponent’s defense. In overtime, SLU stepped up the intensity and scored the winning goal.
UR finishes its Liberty League season at, 2-5. The Yellowjackets are 11-7 overall and have two remaining games.
This afternoon, UR will face off against SUNY Brockport, and Sunday they will be at home against SUNY Oneonta.
Rogers is a member of the class of 2012.
