by Steve Bradley
The Lady Panthers field hockey team played three big games over the last week. By playing their way through Sectional competition, the Ladies earned the right to represent Section II in the Class C regionals.
HF 1 Greenwich 0 – Overtime
The reward for a win in this game was a chance to play in the Sectional Finals at Schuylerville. Facing arch rival Greenwich for the third time in the 2014 season last Thursday, the Panthers once again had their hands full. Playing on the HFCS grass where the Witches dealt the Panthers their only loss of the season several weeks ago, the regulation portion of the contest was an instant replay from several weeks ago. That game went into double overtime before Greenwich was able to score and take home the win.
Right from the start, this appeared to be a game where one goal could be a winner.
The Panthers’ time of possession in Greenwich’s end of the field was much greater than the time Greenwich was in control, but Greenwich always seemed one breakaway from running down the field and getting a goal. The Panthers were awarded 16 corners to Greenwich’s two but were unable to capitalize on any of them. The Panthers spent plenty of time harassing Greenwich goalie Olivia Barnes, who ended with 16 saves, but couldn’t get one past her. Panther goalie Cassie Sherman had three saves, further illustrating the control the Panthers had on the game. The problem was there is no type of score for shots or corners.
At the end of regulation, the game was tied at 0 – 0 – a typical Greenwich – Hoosick Falls field hockey game.
When the game moved into overtime, the Panthers wasted no time in putting away any thoughts Greenwich had that they were going to pull a win out of their Witches’ caps. With 1:03 gone in the overtime Liz Ryan drove home an unassisted, breakaway shot for a goal. The team erupted into celebration, and the fans cheered, mostly because everyone had been sitting on the edge of their seats holding their breaths for the past hour, and they were finally able to breathe.
It was another classic. With the win the Panthers earned their way to Schuylerville to face the Warrensburg Fighting Tigers.
HF – 2, Warrensburg 0
With the championship game in Schuylerville late Sunday afternoon, the Panthers faced another familiar foe in Warrensburg. The Panthers beat Warrensburg twice in the regular season, the last time on October 3 when the Panthers pulled out a 3 – 2 overtime win.
With the 4 pm start, the cold and wind of the day could really be felt. The teams took to the field in the blustery weather, and the good crowd of fans began encouraging their teams on. The Tigers had the momentum early in the game, but, as the game went on, the Panthers began to be in possession of the ball more and more.
With just over five minutes left until the half, Ally Burdick put the ball in the goal off a shot by Liz Ryan. This was big. Having a lead, any lead, was a good thing, as one goal could be what it would take to come home with a win.
As the first half continued, the Panthers gathered more of the momentum. They played well, and the Tigers looked just a bit slower to the ball. More time was spent in front of the Tigers’ goal. When Liz Ryan took a shot and Caytlyn Springer was able put the ball past a sprawling Tiger goaltender in the last minute of the half, the Panthers held a two goal lead.
When play resumed for the second half, the Panthers looked far quicker than Warrensburg. The Tigers appeared to be demoralized. There was no score in the second half, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying.
With the win the Panthers will be the representative for Section II in the regional game.
The Regional Game – HF – 1 Cazenovia – 5
Wednesday afternoon found the Panther Ladies again playing on the Schuylerville artificial turf field. The opponent was the Cazenovia Lakers (16 – 2 – 1) of Section III. Cazenovia is a field hockey powerhouse, recently extending their run of consecutive Section III, Class C championships to nine last Sunday.
Victory was not in the cards on this day. The Lakers scored three first half goals, including one with one second left in the half, to take a lead the Panthers could not overcome. The Panthers did come out in the second half and scored a goal of their own, but the Tigers scored two more to put the game away. The Tigers were a very fast team from front to back.
Goaltender Cassie Sherman played an excellent game, stopping numerous shots. The entire team played well, with everyone hustling and doing everything they could until the clock expired. But a win on this day just wasn’t to be.
