Hartwick, SUNY Oneonta Sports Recap

Compiled by WRILEY NELSON

Catch up on Otsego County college sports scores and player highlights that didn’t make it into the hard copy “Freeman’s Journal” and “Hometown Oneonta” editions.

Hartwick Volleyball Wins Two E8 Matches

ONEONTA—The Hartwick women’s volleyball team rolled to consecutive Empire 8 Conference wins on Friday and Saturday, September 29 and 30. Junior Shaelyn Thornton made 19 kills to lead the Hawks in a five-set win against Keuka College on Friday night. Hartwick defeated Utica University 3-1 on Saturday and moved to 6-6 for the season.

Oneonta Soccer Teams Fall to Cortland

ONEONTA—A penalty kick in the 86th minute gave Cortland a 3-2 victory over the SUNY Oneonta women’s soccer team in a Battle of the Red Dragons on Wednesday, October 4. Cortland set the pace throughout the match, outshooting Oneonta 16-3. Gianna Gritzmacher and Jianna Chapman scored in the loss, and goalkeeper Bryanna Meehan of Roxbury made three saves. Oneonta’s defense held strong until an unfortunate late-game handball gave Cortland a penalty kick. Oneonta fell to 4-2-3 for the season and 1-2-1 in the SUNY Athletic Conference.

On the men’s side, Oneonta was shut out 3-0 at Cortland on the same day. Oneonta’s defense put up a strong performance in the first half but gave up three goals in the second. Senior Nate Hanna made seven saves in the loss.

“From our perspective, the three goals were shockingly bad,” said coach Iain Byrne, “but outside of that we didn’t create enough going forward.”

Cortland outshot Oneonta 24-15. Oneonta fell to 9-2 for the season and 2-2 in SUNYAC.

Hartwick College Defeats Utica University

ONEONTA—Hartwick men’s soccer rolled past Empire 8 conference foe Utica University 3-1 at home on Wednesday, October 4. Utica scored first in the 40th minute, but the Hawks rallied for three unanswered goals starting with junior Sean Burke’s shot with seconds left in the first half. Senior Jim Mahony led the way with two goals. Junior goalkeeper Dante Gesamondo made three saves. The Hawks moved to 5-3-2 for the season and 2-1 in E8.

Prosperi Makes Hat Trick, Oneonta Beats Oswego

OSWEGO—The four-ranked SUNY Oneonta men’s soccer team rolled to a 4-1 victory over SUNY Oswego on Saturday, October 7. Junior Luigi Prosperi recorded a hat trick and freshman Adrian Matute scored the first goal of his college career. Oswego avoided a shutout with a goal late in the second half. Senior Nate Hanna made three saves in the win.

“After a couple of losses, it was good to get back on the winning trail,” said head coach Iain Byrne. “Congrats to Luigi on his hat trick, hopefully he has more goals in his future.”

The Red Dragons improved to 10-2 for the season and 3-2 in the SUNY Athletic Conference.

Oneonta Women Fall to Oswego

ONEONTA—SUNY Oneonta women’s soccer fell 2-0 to Oswego in rainy weather on Saturday, October 7. The wet conditions slowed down both teams’ offensive efforts in the first half, and the game remained scoreless until the 75th minute. The Red Dragons had difficulty finding an offensive rhythm throughout the match. Goalkeeper Bryanna Meehan finished the day with six saves in the loss. Oneonta moved to 4-3-3 overall and 1-3-1 in SUNYAC.

Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta Sports Wrapped

MEN’S SOCCER—15-ranked SUNY Oneonta men’s soccer earned a hard-fought 2-1 SUNY Athletic Conference win against Fredonia on Saturday, October 14. Junior Luigi Prosperi scored twice for the Red Dragons, both times on an assist by sophomore Milton Mancias Magana.

“That’s three conference road wins in a row now, and we scored 10 goals,” said head coach Iain Byrne. “We are now looking forward to our final two matches at home.” The win in Fredonia moved Oneonta to 12-2 for the season and 5-2 in SUNYAC.

Hartwick men’s soccer tied St. John Fisher 0-0 in Empire 8 Conference play on Saturday, October 14. Junior keeper Dante Gesamondo made six saves. The Hawks moved to 5-4-3 for the season and 2-2-1 in E8.

WOMEN’S SOCCER—SUNY Oneonta women’s soccer defeated Fredonia 2-0 at home on Senior Day, Saturday, October 14. Junior Brooke Matura and sophomore Kaiden Ring scored on assists by freshman Gianna Hanner and Matura, respectively. Sophomore goalkeeper Bryanna Meehan made eight saves in the win. Seniors Leighann Perciballi, Gianna Gritzmacher and Jianna Champman were recognized for their four-year careers. The Red Dragons remained in playoff contention, moving to 5-4-3 overall and 2-5-1 in SUNYAC.

CROSS COUNTRY—Both the SUNY Oneonta men’s and women’s cross country teams placed 10th in a field of more than 20 teams at the Geneseo Mike Woods Invitational on Saturday, October 14. The Red Dragons put up strong performances against some of the country’s best college runners. Senior Jonthomas Bierman put up a program record 8k time of 24:37.5, which was good for 22nd place. Junior Gabe Burns, seniors John Balk Jr. and Christian Noa, and freshman Chris Schmikus recorded personal records. Senior Megan Francouer led the Oneonta women in the 6k race, finishing ninth with a personal best time of 21:31.9. Seniors Ella DePhillips, Olivia O’Donnell and Sierra Basco, juniors Sabrinna Mena and Sarah Luby, and freshmen Gia Engel, Chloe Davis and Keyla Mendoza also ran personal career records. The Red Dragons will host the SUNYAC Championships at Fortin Park at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 28.

SWIMMING AND DIVING—The Hartwick College swimming and diving teams hosted the annual Hartwick Relays on Sunday, October 15. The women’s team finished second in a field of six teams. Min-Syun Chen, Courtney Pierce and Danielle DeCarlo finished first in the 3×100 breaststroke. The men’s team finished first. Jack Armstrong won one-meter and three-meter diving, and Hartwick teams placed first in the 400 medley, 3×100 butterfly, 3×200 medley, and 400 freestyle relays. The SUNY Oneonta men’s and women’s teams both placed fifth in the team rankings.