Sophomore Molly Newton led Cortland with four goals (Darl Zehr Photography)
CORTLAND, N.Y. – Freshman goalie Annie Casey (Bay Shore) made a save on a point-blank shot with 2:51 remaining in the game to protect a one-goal lead, and the nationally 18th-ranked Cortland women's lacrosse team tacked on two late goals to earn a 16-13 victory versus Brockport Tuesday afternoon in SUNYAC action. With the win, the Red Dragons improved to 12-4 overall and 7-0 in the conference, clinching the top seed in the upcoming league tournament. The Golden Eagles fell to 6-8 and 5-2 with the loss.
Sophomore Molly Newton (Skaneateles) led the Cortland offense with four goals. Sophomores Lexie Meager (Syracuse/West Genesee) and Brie Yonge (Penn Yan/Penn Yan Academy) each tallied three goals and one assist. Sophomore Baylee Ojeda (Canandaigua/Canandaigua Academy) recorded two goals and two assists, senior Kristyn Drake (Tully) netted two goals, senior Megan Gonzalez (Miller Place) chipped in with one goal and one assist and senior Jaycie Annable (Navarino/Onondaga) scored a goal. Senior Katie Wolfe (East Amherst/Williamsville North) and junior Carly Stone (Syracuse/Jamesville-DeWitt) had two assists apiece.
Casey finished with seven saves for the Red Dragons. Junior Hailey Dobbins (Syracuse/CBA) won six draw controls, freshman Hannah Lorenzen (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) secured five draws, Meager caused three turnovers and senior Sydney Oshinsky (Oceanside) collected three ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Junior Jade Williams (LaFayette) paced Brockport with a game-high five goals. Junior Heather Conklin (Penn Yan/Penn Yan Academy) netted three goals, senior Taylor Thomas (Cortland) scored twice and juniors Hannah Cullen (Wantagh), Sara Grapevine (Corning/Corning-Painted Post) and Victoria Thompson (Akwesasne/Salmon River) each notched a goal.
Senior goalie Sarah Brown (Mexico) turned aside 10 shots and scooped up three ground balls. Thomas won five draws, while Williams recorded three draws. Junior Nikki Nolan (Hampton Bay) caused three turnovers, and junior Ashley Tack (Salt Lake City, UT/Juan Diego Catholic) collected four ground balls.
Cortland opened an 8-5 lead after the first 30 minutes of play on the strength of two goals each from Newton and Drake. Williams scored twice for the Golden Eagles in the first half.
After Newton's third goal of the game made it a 9-5 score 27 seconds into the first half, Brockport answered with five of the next six goals and the score was even at 10-10 with 17:44 remaining. Meager and Thompson then traded goals before the Red Dragons opened up a 14-11 lead with a three-goal run in 1:21. Brockport pulled to within 14-13 at the 3:30 mark with back-to-back free-position goals, two of its seven in the game.
The Golden Eagles won the ensuing draw control, but Casey made her clutch save on Brockport senior Andrew Zlinsky (Owego/Owego Free Academy) who was all alone on the right side. Just over a minute later, Yonge made it a 15-13 score, and Gonzalez added her goal with three seconds on the clock after Meager forced a late turnover and secured the ground ball for the 16-13 final
Cortland 16, Brockport 13
GAME SUMMARY:
Team 1-2 Final
Brockport 5-8 13
Cortland 8-8 16
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Brockport: Jade Williams 5-0, Heather Conklin 3-0, Taylor Thomas 2-0, Hannah Cullen 1-0, Sara Grapevine 1-0, Victoria Thompson 1-0, Chloe Kurst 0-1
Cortland: Molly Newton 4-0, Lexie Meager 3-1, Brie Yonge 3-1, Baylee Ojeda 2-2, Kristyn Drake 2-0, Megan Gonzalez 1-1, Jaycie Annable 1-0, Katie Wolfe 0-2, Carly Stone 0-2, Cecilia Procopio 0-1
Goalkeepers:
Brockport: Sarah Brown, 10 saves (16 GA in 60:00)
Cortland: Annie Casey, 7 saves (13 GA in 60:00)
Shots: Cortland 38, Brockport 24
Ground Balls: Cortland 19, Brockport 18
Clears: Brockport 20-of-23, Cortland 18-of-21
Draw Controls: Cortland 16, Brockport 15
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 11, Brockport 4
Turnovers: Brockport 22, Cortland 14
Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 12-4, 7-0 SUNYAC (ranked `8th nationally in Div. III); Brockport (Golden Eagles) 6-8, 5-2 SUNYAC
