Last year, during the 2023-2024 season, the field hockey team had an amazing season. To recap, they went 18-2 overall, beat Ithaca, were 6-0 in conference play, and won the SUNYAC tournament, defeating New Paltz 2-1 in the finals. This illustrious season earned them a bid to the Division 3 national tournament, where they made it to the second round before losing to Messiah. This year, during the 2024 season, the Red Dragons are back to pick up exactly where they left off.
This week, the Red Dragons were ranked as the 10th-best team in the country via the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s Coaching Poll. Their track record backs it up since they’ve beaten 17th-ranked Ithaca 2-1 and 18th-ranked Franklin-Marshall 4-3 in an overtime thriller. This past week, our field hockey team had three games and handled business in all of them as Cortland kept a clean sheet in all three games and went 3-0 on the week.
On September 21st, the Red Dragons traveled to Geneva, NY, where they faced William Smith College. Forward Hanna Corrigan scored the only goals of the matchup with two, one in the first half and another in the second half, as insurance. The senior from Barneveld currently has eight goals through the first nine games this season. Goalie Emma Morgan, a junior from Whitney Point, NY, also had two saves this game.
On September 25th, Cortland took on 19th-ranked Rochester at home in the stadium complex. Although the final score shows a low-scoring, tight game, the Red Dragons dominated this affair. Cortland only allowed Rochester to take four shots, with one being on goal. In comparison, the Red Dragons took sixteen shots, with four being on goal. Jamie Snyder scored the only goal of the competition midway through the first quarter from an assist by Keirra Ettere. Once again, the Red Dragons, with their superb defense, dismantled any momentum Rochester had and disrupted their offensive game plans.
The last game of this busy week for was on Saturday, September 28th, against the SUNY Oswego Great Lakers. In this home matchup, Cortland put on an outright clinic showcasing why they are considered one of the best teams in the nation. Cortland won dominantly, with the final score being 8-0. The Red Dragons attempted forty-two shots during the game, and thirty of them were on goal. Cortland did not allow a single shot attempt from the Lakers during the matchup. However, Oswego fought hard by saving twenty-two of the thirty on-goal shots from Cortland. In the end, the constant pressure and array of weapons from the Red Dragons were too overpowering. Seven different players scored during the contest; goals came from Carolena Purpura, Hanna Corrigan, Ava Passante, Sydney Reinisch, Gianna Trunfio, Isabel Adams, and Jamie Snyder.
At the midpoint in the season, the Red Dragons are off until they play again on Saturday, October 5th against SUNY Morrisville in Morrisville, New York. Following that game, the Red Dragons will face the 8th nationally ranked York College of Pennsylvania out in Pennsylvania.