CORTLAND, N.Y. - The nationally 15th-ranked Cortland field hockey team suffered its first loss of the season as the Red Dragons fell at home to ninth-ranked Franklin & Marshall, 3-0. Both teams are now 8-1 on the season.
Molly Donadoni scored twice and Caitlin Hoover tallied her 15th goal of the season to lead the Diplomats. Meghan Dole made six saves for the shutout.
For Cortland,
Sofia Cannistraci (Guilderland) recorded 10 saves and
Emma Rice (Greene) registered a defensive save.Â
F&M outshot Cortland, 32-10, and earned 20 penalty corners to six for the Red Dragons. Nine of Cortland's 10 shots and five of its six corners came in the fourth quarter.
The Diplomats took a 1-0 lead with 28 seconds left in the first quarter. They had three shots denied - one blocked by a defender, one saved by Cannistraci, and one that Rice turned away at the goal line - but after a scramble Donadoni took a shot from straight on that found its way through the defense for the goal.
The game remained 1-0 until the fourth quarter. Hoover took a pass from Hannah Fitzgerald toward the right side of the circle, spun and buried a shot with 10:56 remaining to make it 2-0, and just 53 seconds later Donadoni redirected in a shot by Sarah Weitzman to close the scoring.
Cortland threatened about a minute later, but
Sadie Hoffmann (Miller Place) had a shot hit off the post. Dole made four of her six saves over the final 10 minutes to preserve the shutout.
Cortland will open SUNYAC play next Saturday, Oct. 10, at home versus Oswego.
