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Riley, Saints field hockey team rally past Nazareth, 2-1

Posted 10/2/11

The St. Lawrence University field hockey team got two second half goals by senior captain Emily Riley on Sunday, helping the Saints rally for a 2-1 victory over Nazareth College at Hall-Leet Stadium …

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Riley, Saints field hockey team rally past Nazareth, 2-1

Posted

The St. Lawrence University field hockey team got two second half goals by senior captain Emily Riley on Sunday, helping the Saints rally for a 2-1 victory over Nazareth College at Hall-Leet Stadium in Canton, NY.

The Saints, who finished with a 10-7 advantage in shots and a 9-7 edge in penalty corners, improve to 6-4 on the year after the non-conference win, while the Golden Flyers fall to 2-8. The game was also the field hockey team's event for the "Power of Pink" Week on campus, which is helping to raise funds and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

Nazareth controlled the majority of scoring chances in the first half, as they outshot the home team 5-2. The Golden Flyers took a 1-0 lead at 18:21 as Kailee O'Hara hammered a rebound past St. Lawrence goalie Nicole Matos into the cage for her third goal of the season. Lindsey Smith earned the assist on what proved to be the only goal in the opening period.

The Saints bounced back from a tough first half to control the play throughout the second stanza. Riley would level the scoring at 1-1 only 5:18 into the half, scoring her eighth goal of the season. Senior Erika Swits sent the pass off a corner try to Riley inside the top of the circle where the Saratoga Springs, NY native blasted a shot past Golden Flyer netminder Shannon Winney to tie the game.

St. Lawrence continued to pour on the chances, as first-year student Ali Ferenczy and sophomore Emma Berry owned the midfield and kept their team possession. The defensive pressure led to the game-winning goal which came at 65:47, as Riley ran a beautiful give-and-go with Ferenczy and slipped a snap shot between Winney's leg pads for her ninth of the season and a 2-1 lead.

Nazareth would have one final chance in the last minute, as the visitors were given a penalty corner with 30 seconds left. The ball came to O'Hara in the center of the field, and she rifled a shot that just missed the near post and sailed wide, allowing St. Lawrence to hang on for the 2-1 win.

The Scarlet and Brown will be in action again on Tuesday, October 4 when they host Geneseo State at 4:00pm. St. Lawrence will then welcome Liberty League foe Skidmore College to Canton on Saturday, October 8.