The Hamilton College field hockey team erased a pair of deficits to come from behind to beat SUNY Geneseo 4-3 in a non-league game Wednesday night at Hamilton’s Campus Road Athletic Complex. The Continentals (4-2 overall) snapped a two-game losing streak by scoring the game winner with 6:18 left in regulation.
Box score
Eva Rosencrans ’17 scored both the tying and winning goals in the second half after the Knights (3-4) had converted a penalty stroke to take a 3-2 lead midway through the second half.
The Continentals set up the tying goal with one of their 13 penalty corners. Less than two minutes after Geneseo had gone ahead 3-2 a Hamilton offensive surge resulted in a pair of corners taken by Merisa Dion '17. The second was sent to the top of the circle and eventually controlled by Aubrey Coon ’16, who played the ball to the left side where Rosencrans picked up her fifth goal of the season on a low shot.
Rosencrans struck again in the 64th minute after another Hamilton corner, putting the game-winning goal past Geneseo goaltender Dayna Mercer. Her two goals raised Rosencrans’ career totals to 31 goals and 65 points. She passed Erin McNally ’12 (62 points) for third on the program’s all-time scoring list and moved to within two goals of second on Hamilton’s career list.
The Knights, who had taken a 2-0 lead during an offensive flurry early in the first, took advantage of a penalty stroke to take their final lead. After a shot by Giovanna Fasanello was blocked, she was awarded a stroke and converted it for her third goal of the year.
After Hamilton tied the game 1:50 later, Geneseo had a pair of opportunities to retake the lead. Continental goaltender Julia Booth ’19 thwarted a rush, coming out of the net to challenge Sarah Malinak at the right post and forcing a shot that went wide to the left. Just over a minute later Malinak sent a long lead pass to a charging Gabriella Clare down the right side, but the Knights couldn’t maintain control and the ball went over the end line.
Clare scored the game’s first two goals, giving Geneseo a 2-0 lead during a span of 2:41 that saw three goals scored.
Her first goal, at the 9:23 mark, was set up by Malinak, whose shot on a breakaway was saved by Booth. The rebound went to the far post and took a high bounce before Clare batted it down and into the net for her first goal of 2015. Just 52 seconds later a scramble in front of the net sent the ball to Clare at the left post and she responded with her second goal.
Hamilton’s comeback started less than a minute later with the Continentals bringing the ball into the Geneseo zone to the right side where Brooke Talsania ’19 scored her first collegiate goal. The hosts tied the score just 83 seconds before intermission when Emma Anderson '17 deflected a shot taken by Sarah Stinebaugh ’19 after a penalty corner.
Mercer finished with 12 stops including a stellar kick save on Rosencrans to preserve the Knights’ 2-1 lead.
Booth made eight saves – one short of her personal best – as Hamilton outshot Geneseo 27-15.
The win improved the Continentals’ record to 3-0 against non-conference competition; they’ve won nine of their last 12 non-league games and have beaten Geneseo seven times in the last eight meetings to take a 9-7 series lead.
Hamilton returns to NESCAC play Saturday, traveling to New London, Conn., for a noon game against the Connecticut College Camels.
