Photo by Callie Wince
By Ashley Nace
The Susquehanna Field Hockey team fell 2-0 against No. 15 ranked SUNY Cortland in Wednesday afternoon’s game at Sassafras Field.
Susquehanna’s goaltender Taytum Lombardi kept the River Hawks in the game, tallying 16 saves, marking a season and career high saves.
With only two successful shots of 32, Susquehanna proved an incredible defensive effort. Against a nationally ranked team, the River Hawks were looking for a win in their last non-conference game after a tough 1-0 loss to Scranton on Saturday.
“When we play challenging teams and teams that really push us, it allows us to work out kinks before we actually get to conference play,” Lombardi said.
The Red Dragons came out hot with the first shot in the first quarter 1:20 into the game. Cortland posted seven shots throughout the run of the first quarter, forcing Lombardi to make four saves, but no shots proved successful.
“I have always been the type of who thrives under high pressure like that,” Lombardi said.
The River Hawks did not have any shots. After three unsuccessful shots at the start of the second quarter for Cortland and another save by Lombardi, the Red Dragons found the back of the cage 3:08 in.
Following a Lombardi save, Susquehanna’s Bailey Neff took off to earn the team’s first shot of the game.
The River Hawks sparked momentum in the last three minutes of the half. Susquehanna’s Hannah Garlin earned a penalty corner that converted to a Kierra Koeller shot on goal, forcing Cortland’s keeper to make her first save. Seconds later, Jada Thompson had a rip at the Red Dragons’ net.
Lombardi said, “When we make great offensive plays at a team like that, it is definitely a small victory.”
The River Hawks finished the first half down 1-0 to the Red Dragons. The Red Dragons got two shots off at the beginning of the third, but the six-minute mark kicked off Cortland’s pressure.
In less than 1 minute, the Red Dragons cranked five shots at the net, forcing Lombardi to make four saves. Garlin took a shot that missed wide for the River Hawks, but a swift counterattack by Cortland gave them their second goal of the game.
Three more shots ensued for the Red Dragons as Lombardi racked up more saves. Thompson, Koeller, and Elie Lopez each got a shot off for the River Hawks in the final two minutes of the third.
In a change of tides, Susquehanna took the first shot of the final quarter, coming from Sydney Jordan. The ball got stuck in the River Hawks defensive half in the middle of the fourth quarter as the Red Dragons produced seven more shots, giving Lombardi yet again more saves.
In a final attempt of attack, Susquehanna rolled out four more shots, two from Koeller, one from Jordan, and the other from Taylor Rothermel.
The River Hawks finished the game with 12 shots.
“It’s good that we didn’t peak at the start of the season, but we are still building and creating a good foundation for when we get in the thick of conference play,” Lombardi said.
Susquehanna concluded their non-conference season and will jump fully into conference play this Saturday, Oct 3 as they travel to Elizabethtown.