ONEONTA, NY - Nationally eleventh ranked Skidmore (13-3) scored roughly 13 minutes into the first half and held on for a 1-0 victory over Hartwick in a non-conference field hockey on Wednesday evening at Wright Stadium. The victory is the Thoroughbreds 13th of the season. The setback drops the Hawks to 10-6.
The Thoroughbreds broke the deadlock at 13:05 of the opening period as Katie Potter (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) scored for the fourth time of the season. Christine Kemp (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley) started the play with a penalty corner which made its way inside the circle to Lauren McCarthy (Ipswich, MA/Ipswich). She sent the ball in to the far post of the Hartwick cage to Potter who was on the doorstep to slap the ball past keeper Mackenzie Chapman
"The Thoroughbreds played tough against a physical, hard-hitting Hartwick squad on a cold and rainy day in Oneonta," said Skidmore coach Beth Hallenbeck. "The defense was stellar earning the shutout. Liz Catinella was terrific, stopping some key shots on net. Casey Tang, Claire Superak and Julia Sarni used great defensive skills, strong passes upfield and smart decisions to shut down the Hartwick offense. Sheray Michel helped to generate several offensive surges during the second half.
Skidmore would out-shoot the Hawks 7-1 over the first 30 minutes of the opening half before Hartwick would rattle off five consecutive shots in the last five minutes. Katie Cikatz (Salem, CT/East Lyme) had a shot blocked following a penalty corner, Kelsey Kimble (Dingmans Ferry, PA/Delaware Valley) had a shot saved by Skidmore keeper Liz Catinella (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln Sudbury), and Anna Drake (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) deflected a ball over the cage in a two and a half minute span. Sixty seconds later, Kimble and Alicia Flewelling (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) both had shots turned away by Catinella.
The Thoroughbreds held advantages in shots (4-1) and corners (7-3) in the second half with neither team was able to convert.Skidmore held an 11-7 edge in shots for the match and a 15-8 corner advantage. Chapman ended the game with five stops. Catinella saved three to earn the shutout.
Skidmore will close out the regular season at home on Saturday against Utica at 1 p.m. A win would give the Thoroughbreds the Liberty League tiebreaker advantage and the top seed in next week's Liberty League championship tournament.
