Freshman Lisa Pak scored in double overtime to give the Rensselaer field hockey team a 2-1 win over Nazareth College on Saturday. Goalie Amanda Lund made nine saves and freshman Sara Stylinski chipped in a goal as well.
The game started off with a quick, aggressive pace. “The improvements from the first half to the second half were obvious,” stated Head Coach Bridget Lanoir. These included, according to Lanoir, “our defensive positioning, our passing, our patience, and our poise.”
The speed of the action was not lost on Pak and Stylinski, who were each playing in their first career collegiate game. “The pace was much quicker,” said Pak. “It’s a cleaner, more finesse-type game. There’s a lot more passing.”
Stylinski agreed. “The game was very aggressive,” she stated.
Her goal came 46 minutes and 33 seconds into the game, and put the Red Hawks up 1-0. “It was great. I wouldn’t have been able to score without my teammate Kerri Clark,” Stylinski said. “The ball came up from the defense—a nice big hit up to one of our midfielders. They passed it to Kerri, who was playing in the center, she hit it right across the goal to me, and I put it past the goalie on the left-hand side.”
Nazareth tied things up less than ten minutes later, when Ashley Holden scored on a pass from Danielle Gregory. Regulation ended with the score knotted at one. The first overtime was also scoreless, with each team registering two shots.
The Red Hawks dominated during the second overtime. “We really pressured the other team…especially during the double overtime. We pretty much had possession of the ball the entire time,” said Stylinski.
Pak sealed the game at 87:27. Sophomore Michelle Clemente set up the goal, Pak’s first as a collegiate athlete, with a well-placed pass. “[Clemente] made an awesome play, and I was just in the right place at the right time,” said Pak.
Lund offered praise for the effort of the freshmen. “The rookies really contributed,” she said. “People were moving well and recovering well on defense.”
Lund’s on-field leadership, though, was vital for the first-year athletes, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Lanoir. “[Lund] is a tremendous leader on the field,” said Lanoir, adding, “Because we have such a young defense, her communication…is one of her largest contributions. She took complete control in the overtimes, especially, and anytime we needed a big save, she was there.”
Rensselaer takes on the Hartwick Hawks today at 4 pm on Harkness Field.
