MIDDLEBURY, VT. – Cortland outscored Middlebury 8-2 over the final 22 minutes and the nationally second-ranked Red Dragons remained unbeaten with a 12-10 win over the fifth-ranked Panthers. Cortland is now 11-0 on the season, while Middlebury drops to 9-2.
Freshman
Kristen Ohberg (Brewster) led Cortland with a career-high four goals. Junior
Emma Hayes-Hurley (Huntington) recorded two goals and an assist and sophomore
Tara Monaghan (Stony Point/North Rockland) scored twice.
Sophomore
Erica Geremia (Camillus/West Genesee) finished with a goal and three assists and in two seasons has career totals of 90 goals and 111 assists for 201 points. She is the first Cortland sophomore, and the 12th Red Dragon overall, to reach the career 200-point mark.
Also for the Red Dragons, junior
Marilyn Farrell (Fayetteville/Fayetteville-Manlius) registered a goal and two assists, while senior
Taylor Reh (Miller Place) and sophomore
Ashley Gentile (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) scored once apiece. Sophomore
Liz Ingalls (Centerport/St. Anthony's) made six saves, all in the first half.
Katie Ritter (Middlebury, VT/Middlebury Union) led the Panthers with two goals and two assists. Chrissy Ritter (Middlebury, VT/Middlebury Union), Laurel Pascal (Greenwich, CT/Taft) and Bridget Instrum (Granby, MA/Williston Northampton) tallied two goals each. Alyssa Palomba (Shrewsbury, MA/Suffield Academy (CT)) made four saves.
Cortland's defensive pressure and strong ride helped fuel the comeback. The Red Dragons caused 13 of Middlebury's 21 turnovers, led by three caused turnovers by Hayes-Hurley and two each by Ohberg, Geremia and senior
Jessica Lavelle (Fayetteville/Fayetteville-Manlius).
Middlebury led 5-4 at halftime after a goal by Chrissy Ritter with 37 seconds left. The Panthers struck for three goals in the first eight minutes of the second half – scores by Katie Ritter, Instrum and Mary O'Connell (Norwell, MA) – and held an 8-4 advantage with 22:28 left.
Cortland regrouped after a timeout and scored three goals in just over a six-minute span to pull within one. Ohberg scored twice and Farrell had a goal and an assist during that stretch. The hosts took a 9-7 lead on Katie Ritter's man-up goal with 9:27 left, but Cortland scored twice in a 12-second span to knot the game. Monaghan connected off a Hayes-Hurley feed at the 8:42 mark with Cortland up a player. She then won the ensuing draw control and started a fast break that was capped by Geremia feeding Ohberg for the tying goal with 8:30 left. Geremia reached the 200-point plateau with the assist.
The Panthers took their final lead at 10-9 on an Instrum goal with 7:31 left. Ohberg won the next draw and eventually scored with 6:58 left to tie the game. Hayes-Hurley found the net with 5:36 left to give Cortland the lead for good. Middlebury was whistled for a yellow card on the goal, leading to a Cortland possession without a draw, and the Red Dragons capitalized on the man-up opportunity when Gentile scored off a Geremia assist with 4:47 remaining.
Ingalls caused a turnover with 4:01 left and Cortland ran more than two minutes off the clock before losing the ball with 1:50 left. Middlebury, however, was called for a charge with 1:19 remaining. Each team committed one more turnover before the Red Dragons ran out the clock.
Cortland will host Buffalo State in a SUNYAC game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Cortland 12, Middlebury 10
Team 1-2 Final
Cortland 4-8 12
Middlebury 5-5 10
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Cortland:
Kristen Ohberg 4-0,
Emma Hayes-Hurley 2-1,
Tara Monaghan 2-0,
Erica Geremia 1-3,
Marilyn Farrell 1-2,
Taylor Reh 1-0,
Ashley Gentile 1-0
Middlebury: Katie Ritter 2-2, Chrissy Ritter 2-0, Laurel Pascal 2-0, Bridget Instrum 2-0, Liza Herzog 1-0, Mary O'Connell 1-0
Goalkeepers:
Cortland:
Liz Ingalls, 6 saves (10 GA in 60:00)
Middlebury: Alyssa Palomba, 4 saves (12 GA in 60:00)
Shots: Cortland 24, Middlebury 20
Ground Balls: Cortland 16, Middlebury 13
Clears: Cortland 11-of-15, Middlebury 12-of-18
Draw Controls: Middlebury 14, Cortland 9
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 13, Middlebury 9
Turnovers: Middlebury 21, Cortland 18
Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 11-0 (ranked 2nd nationally in Div. III); Middlebury (Panthers) 9-2 (ranked 5th nationally in Div. III)
