MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State Field Hockey team fell 3-1 in a State Universities of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) road contest at Oneonta on Wednesday evening.
Oneonta put offensive pressure on the visiting Mustangs early in the first half, recording 12 of their 17 shots in the opening 15 minutes of play. The Red Dragon's early effort paid off at the 15:09 mark as they finally broke through for a 1-0 lead.
The Mustangs responded quickly, putting Oneonta on their heels as Morrisville came charging less than a minute later. Elizabeth Leva (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) recorded the equalizer at the 16:01 mark when she took the rebound from Hayley Fonfara's (Elma, N.Y.) initial shot and found the back of the cage. The goal was Leva's team-leading 8th goal of the season.
Oneonta continued to pressure the Mustangs, but goal keeper Emma Gottung (Caroga Lake, N.Y.) and the rest of the Morrisville defense held firm to keep the score at 1-1 for the rest of the first half. Gottung recorded 6 saves in the first half, while Haley Evarts (Irondequoit, N.Y.) picked up a defensive save.
The Red Dragons were able to break the 1-1 tie nine minutes into the second half when they are able to convert on a penalty stroke opportunity. Three minutes later, Oneonta struck again for the 3-1 lead.
Morrisville worked to gain some ground at the 50 minute mark when Leva was able to put a shot on goal after a penalty corner, but the Mustangs' efforts were quickly thwarted by the Red Dragons.
The Mustangs put one more offensive push together in the last eight minutes of the game, recording three more shots, but it was too little too late and the 3-1 win for Oneonta would stand.
The Mustangs will return home on Saturday as they host Brockport in another SUNYAC contest at 5 PM. Two special events surround the game. First, Morrisville will celebrate the careers of their seniors. Second, the Mustangs will be collecting donations for the American Red Cross to aid in relief efforts for those communities affected by the recent hurricanes. Monetary and non-perishable donations will be accepted at the gate.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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