Saratoga advances to semifinals
Second half penalty stroke spoils Blue Devils’ upset bid
After two regular season wins, including 5-0 shutout, No. 2 seeded Saratoga Springs looked to be the heavy favorite in their Section II Class A quarterfinal against No. 7 Columbia at the Adirondack Sports Dome Tuesday.
That was not the case. The game remained close throughout and the Blue Streaks relied on a second half goal form Lindsey Frank, the program’s alltime leading scorer to pick up a 2-1 victory.
Columbia started strong, getting an early goal in the first four minutes of the game on a penalty stroke. Marie Elben took the shot against Saratoga goalie Renee Banagan and managed to place it into the left corner for a 1-0 lead.
“I think we started the game slow and the other team had nothing to lose,” Saratoga Springs coach Jo Anne-Hostig said. “I think we realize that after they quickly scored that we needed to play our game and I think progressively I think we are starting to get together. That is why I called a timeout (after the goal). I told them we really needed to get collectively together and get going. It really helped us at that point because they realized ‘Oh gosh, today could be the last day.’ So we really started to focus in on using each other and going in waves and that truly helped us in the end.”
The two teams battled for possession and created opportunities for most of the rest of the half, but failed to convert until there was less than eight minutes left in the quarter.
That’s when Saratoga Springs’ Jessie House managed to work
the ball into Emily Leonard, who tied the game with a shot past Columbia goalie Maddy Hogan to tie the game.
The Blue Devils though they regained the lead before the half, but the goal was called back for an infraction by the referee. The Blue Devils were ruled to have not taken the ball outside the circle off a penalty corner. That left the score at 1-1.
“My understanding is (the ref) said it did not come out of the circle,” Columbia coach Dorothy Berrier Masiello said. “The ball didn’t come over the yellow line completely. (Our) interpretation of that is she did in fact let it come out and then she hit it immediately, but that was the call. That is the kind of call that I wish they would hold their whistle on and not make such a tight call in such an important game.”
Saratoga and Columbia continued to play evenly in the second half. Columbia got a corner and worked the ball right by the cage, but couldn’t capitalize and the ball was cleared by Saratoga.
The Blue Streaks picked up a go-ahead goal with 9:32 left in the game.
Columbia was the one committing the foul this time, allowing Lindsey Frank the chance to get her team the lead on a penalty stroke. Frank and Hogan matched up with the ball and Frank knocked it past her to give the Blue Streaks a 2-1 lead.
“We practice those shots a lot and we do it before games and everything,” Frank said. “We are prepared for that and when we get those it is almost a given that we might make it in.”
Columbia had one more chance to tie the game with 30 seconds left. They managed to get a corner, but Banagan turned away multiple shot attempts. Saratoga cleared the ball to clinch the win.
Masiello said she was proud of the way her team fought.
“I just think that for my team being 2-12 and them being 12-2, I think today was to show the fact that we do play good hockey and the kids do have really good skills,” Masiello said. “I just think that, whatever that little thing is, that spark that we need, that we just seem to come up short. I am really proud of my seniors. Renee (Smith) was No. 4, Colleen (Kennedy) was in the back, Marie (Elben) was the blond in the middle there and Shanleigh (Kutzer) the one that was really quick, they really pushed the game, tried to bring the underclassmen with them and I’m not sure there is much more we could have done. I think in terms of my kids hustling, giving them a really tough game and making them realize, that we really were here to play and had every intention of winning.”
Hostig said the team realized near the end of the first that they needed to play Saratoga field hockey to pick up the win.
“I think the second half was really big turnaround,” Hostig said. “We were playing our game, we were getting more opportunities and that is why it ended up that we had the stroke because we kept creating opportunities and they were getting tired and we capitalized on one of their big mistakes there.”
Saratoga (13-2) advances to the Class A semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 24, to take on Shaker, who beat Niskayuna 1-0.
Hostig said the team needs to be serious to keep moving forward in sectionals.
“We need to be serious right from the start and I really think that we thought, oh it is just a game and we are going to move on and we had beaten them twice, but that is not how it goes,” Hostig said. “They realized after the game that anyone can win. It is sectionals, it is one game at a time and everyone has a new life. We realized that we have to capitalize on ours and not take it for granted that you are going to be there because that is not how it goes.”