Field hockey wins Empire 8 Championship
Photo courtesy of Geneseo Knights
After a dominant 5–1 victory over Nazareth, the SUNY Geneseo field hockey team captured its second straight Empire 8 championship and improved to a program-best 20–1 record.
On Nov. 8, the Geneseo Knights field hockey team won its second straight Empire 8 championship. They defeated the Nazareth Golden Flyers at College Stadium with a defining score of 5-1. This pushed the Knights to a record of 20-1 for the season, which is a program best since their opening season in 1997.
During the first quarter, with approximately nine minutes played, the Knights kept a high level of pressure on the Golden Flyers. Eventually, with just over six minutes left in the quarter, junior forward Ella Greico took a pass out of the air from teammate senior midfielder Sam Lewis and slammed it into the back of the goal, past the Golden Flyers’ goalkeeper. But Nazareth retaliated and by the end of the first quarter, the score was 1-1.
When the second quarter began, the Knights did everything in their power to take control of the lead. There were nine shots on the Golden Flyers’ net before junior midfielder Kyra Giannelli landed one in the net from a defensive rebound, giving the Knights the lead once again. That goal would be a turning point in the game, as the Knights would go on to score three more consecutive goals before the game ended. Giannelli’s goal also took place right before halftime, ensuring that the Knights would have the lead for the midpoint of the game.
After the Knights returned from halftime, Ella Greico kept the ball rolling by picking up one of her own rebounds and adding another goal to the Knights’ scoreboard just a minute into the third quarter. About eight minutes later, Giannelli was able to capitalize and score by redirecting a shot from teammate, senior midfielder Shannon Cunningham. With the score now sitting at 4-1, the Golden Flyers would have to make a move—or several, if they still wanted a chance at winning.
The last quarter moved quickly with aggression from the Knights and some last-minute, desperate attempts from the Golden Flyers. There was no scoring from either side until the last minute, when junior defender Emma Landers took the rebound from Sam Lewis’s shot and cemented the final score of the game at 5-1, claiming another Empire 8 championship.
As for the Empire 8 awards, Ella Greico was named offensive player of the year for the Knights. Freshman forward and midfielder Halle Senfield was awarded rookie of the year and the coaching staff for the Knights, led by Margaret McConnell, was also awarded, named coaching staff of the year.
Now that the Knights have conquered the Empire 8 division, they will be moving on to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) III championships. They will be facing Hamilton on Nov. 12 at Hamilton College. The team also received several impressive rankings and awards this season. Ella Greico currently ranks sixth in the NCAA for goals scored per game at 1.30 and points per game at 3.15. Junior midfielder Sara O’Donnell was also named tournament Most Valuable Player. The Knights rank second overall in the NCAA, scoring an average of 4.75 goals per game with an average point total of 12.60 points per game as well.