HARTWICK, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College field hockey team scored five second half goals and won its sixth straight game on Saturday to wrap up the second overall seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship after defeating Hartwick College, 5-0, in an Empire 8 bout at Wright Stadium. With the win, Fisher improved to 14-4 on the season and 7-1 in the conference standings while the Hawks slipped to 12-5 and 5-3, respectively.
Neither team was able to break through in the first half of play as both teams broke for the locker room at halftime scoreless. The game remained in a draw until the 51st minute when
Bre Socker dribbled through the Hartwick defense and dumped it off to
Gianna Palma who deflected the pass into the back of the net to give Fisher a one-goal edge.
Fisher would double its advantage just two minutes later when
Lauren Fazio uncorked a shot through traffic that made it 2-0. The scoring flurry continued in the 56th minute as Palma took the ball the length of the field and sent a shot past the Hawks' keeper to put the visitors ahead, 3-0.
The Cardinals continued to find their groove as the second half wore on with
Reghan Amoroso weaving her way through the middle before unloading a shot just past the outstretched blocker of Hartwick's goalie to make it a four-goal affair.
Less than two minutes later, Fisher struck again as Fazio sent a strike across the field to Socker who poked it in to close out the game with the Cardinals on top, 5-0.
In all, Fisher enjoyed a 15-6 advantage in shots led by Socker who accounted for six including three on goal. Palma had four shots in the win while
Alyssa Andres and Fazio each had two shots overall.
Senior
Ashley Maynard moved to 14-4 in goal after earning her fifth shutout of the season. Maynard played all 70 minutes in goal and came away with four saves.
Fisher will look to keep its winning streak going Friday at 2:30 p.m. when it plays in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Championship against third-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in Washington, Pa.
