When it comes to taking on the Yellowjackets, the Hartwick College field hockey team simply can’t catch a break.
The Hawks are 13-24 all-time against UR, and winless in the teams’ last four meetings. After their match on a blisteringly hot Saturdayafternoon at Hartwick’s Wright Stadium, the small, Oneonta-based school’s luck appears unlikely to change anytime soon.
That’s not to say things didn’t start off well for the Hawks. Just seven minutes into the first half, Hartwick’s Meghan Sweeney found the back of the UR net thanks to a quick pass from teammate Megan Lefeber, sliding the ball behind the Yellowjackets’ sophomore goalie Madison Wagner.
Meanwhile, Wagner’s adversary, Hartwick goalie Megan Campbell, had all but silenced the Yellowjackets’ sticks, stopping all five of the team’s first-half shots on goal.
History revealed itself in the second half, however, as Campbell and the Hartwick defense crumbled under the considerable force that defines this year’s UR offense.
Ten minutes into the second half, junior forward Shelby Hall blasted the ball from just inside the top of the circle to even the tally at 1-1. Hall finished the game with a team-high eight shots on goal.
Fellow junior forward Anna Dobrzynski carried the visitors’ offense from then on, scoring twice in a six-minute span to give the ‘Jackets a comfortable lead at 3-1.
Try as they might, the Hartwick attack line would have no response, as a relentless UR defense and some sturdy goal tending from Wagner suffocated the Hawks, limiting the home team to just 11 shots total (the ‘Jackets, by contrast, compiled 22).
With the win, the women of the yellow and blue upped their undefeated record to 2-0, while Hartwick dropped its mark to 1-1.
The women are scheduled to open a three-game home stand on Wednesday, Sept. 7, when they host Nazareth College.
Bernstein is a member of
the class of 2014.
