No. 5 Skidmore Ends Saints’ Season in Conference Semifinals
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Tara FreemanCourtney Cartier '13 scored the Saints' lone goal against #5 Skidmore on Wednesday.
Nov. 2: The St. Lawrence University field hockey team's 2011 season came to an end on Wednesday, as nationally-ranked No. 5 Skidmore scored eight unanswered goals to eliminate the Saints in the 2011 Liberty League Semifinals, 8-1, in Saratoga Springs, NY.
St. Lawrence completes its season with a 9-8 overall record, while the Thoroughbreds will host the conference title game on Saturday against either RPI or William Smith while boasting a 17-1 record.
The Saints, who fell 2-0 to Skidmore earlier this season, struck first in the semifinal game only 6:57 into regulation. Senior Erika Swits fired a shot towards Thoroughbred goalie Haley McDougall, but the ball was deflected behind the keeper by junior Courtney Cartier. Cartier's fifth goal of the season game the underdogs a 1-0 lead.
However, Skidmore would rally with a pair of goals before halftime to take a 2-1 lead into intermission. Ceilidh MacNeill's ninth goal of the year tied the game 1-1 at 20:46, while Lauren Tobias gave the home team the lead for good at 2-1 at 29:20.
With the momentum on its side, Skidmore piled up six goals in the second half, out-shooing St. Lawrence 14-2. Kelly Blackhurst scored twice, while MacNeill completed a hat trick with two tallies as well to bring the score to 6-1. Caylyn Sullivan and Sam Skott added the final two scores to bring the game to its final of 8-1.
The Skidmore offense was firing on all cylinders throughout the game, as the home team finished with an impressive 30-5 advantage in shots and 14-7 edge in penalty corners. St. Lawrence sophomore goalie Nicole Matos made 14 saves while her defense added two team stops. McDougall finished with three stops in the contest.