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Mighty Oaks Weekly Sports Recap
The Mighty Oaks women's soccer team had a full slate of games the week of Oct. 3, going 3-1, including a 6-0 win over Onondaga Community College to claim the Queen of the Hill Cup for the fourth straight year.
The week started with a hard-fought, 1-0 road victory over the Wildcats of Cazenovia College Oct. 4. Senior Heather Carl scored the Mighty Oaks' only goal at the 42nd minute of the first half when she beat her defender and shot the ball past a diving Wildcats keeper. The goal was Carl's 15th of the season.
The team faced off against cross-town rivals Onondaga Community College in the annual Queen of the Hill Cup Oct. 6. ESF wasted no time, scoring right away when sophomore Shannon Gordinier found the back of the net only two minutes into the game. Carl answered with another goal at the 15-minute mark, quickly putting ESF up 2-0. Junior Natalee Wrege chipped in a goal at the 36th minute, giving the Mighty Oaks a 3-0 lead going into halftime. Second-half goals by Carl, Wrege and junior Anna Bishop gave the Mighty Oaks a 6-0 win over the Lazers and another year as Queen of the Hill Cup champs.
The team faced conference rivals Berkeley College on senior day, Oct. 8. Before the game, the Mighty Oaks recognized their lone senior, Carl, who is team captain. Carl left on a strong note in her final home game for ESF, notching a hat trick as the Mighty Oaks rolled past the Knights 9-0.
The following day, the Mighty Oaks faced off against the USCAA defending national champions, University of Maine at Fort Kent. The Bengals scored in the opening minute off a goal from junior forward Sherifatu Sumaila. Sumaila is member of the under-20 Ghanaian national team. The Mighty Oaks countered three minutes later when junior Lauren Archer found the back of the net off a pass from Bishop. Sumaila fired back with two consecutive goals in a span of two minutes, giving the Bengals an early 3-1 lead. The Mighty Oaks' defense finally settled in and began containing Sumaila and the high-powered Bengal offense. Bishop scored in the 29th minute off a Carl assist to go into halftime down only 3-2. During the second half, the Mighty Oaks held their own against the four-time national champs. Keeper Kiki Hilmer made 22 saves to keep the game from turning into a blowout. An insurance goal at the 86th minute by junior Catherine Bruno put the Bengals up 4-2 and the game out of reach for the Mighty Oaks.
With the loss, the team falls to 7-2-1 overall, 2-1 in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) play. The team is ranked sixth nationally in the USCAA power rankings and has two games remaining in the 2016 season, including a showdown against number seven-ranked Bryant and Stratton College Oct. 16.
Men's Soccer
The men's team faced off against Onondaga Community College in the annual King of
the Hill Cup Oct. 4. Freshman Joseph Kulikowski scored first for the Mighty Oaks at
the 12:30 mark with the help of senior Joe Marino. The Lazers quickly responded when
freshman Nick Bitz tapped in a goal off a cross from sophomore Hassan Musa. The teams
went into half time tied 1-1. The Mighty Oaks took a quick lead in the second half,
scoring back-to-back goals from Kulikowski, his second of the night, and freshman
Thys Reynold, who scored three minutes later. Lazer striker Musa knotted up the game
with two goals later in the second half, sending the match into overtime. The Mighty
Oaks had a few chances to finish the game in overtime but failed to connect, losing
in a penalty kick shootout. The game counts as a tie for the Mighty Oaks' overall
record but the Lazers take home the cup once again for the fourth year in a row.
The team met up against HVIAC conference rivals and defending conference champs Berkeley College Oct. 8. Before the game, under rainy skies, the team took a few moments to recognize its seniors, Jorge Guarin, Eric Bischof, Zack Reda, Owen Hennigan, Eitan Kiin and Jarrett Temple.
Hennigan got ESF on the board 28 minutes into the first off a rebound from a shot by sophomore George Beinetti. A minute later, the Knights scored on a breakaway goal by sophomore Ali Dawha. Freshman Mickael Myagkota scored his second goal of the season at the 40th minute on a shot that ricocheted off the Knights' goalkeeper, Osvin Vasquez, giving ESF a 2-1 lead going into the second half. The Knights tied the game up two minutes into the second half. The Mighty Oaks controlled possession for most of the second half, creating numerous scoring opportunities and rattling off 26 shots on goal in the game but could not find a way to get the ball into the back of the net. Dawha beat the Mighty Oaks defense to score the winning goal with only 30 seconds remaining in the game.
With the losses, the team falls to 7-3-1 overall, 5-2 in HVIAC conference play. The team has two games left in the 2016 season, at Alfred State Oct. 15 and Bryant and Stratton College Oct. 16.
Woodsmen
The Woodsmen's team traveled to Finger Lakes Community College for its first competition
of the season Oct. 1. Twenty-four teams competed from eight schools.
ESF fielded two complete women's team, an indication of growing interest in timber sports. The women's A team placed third overall and the women's B team was fifth. The co-ed Jack-and-Jill team placed sixth, the men's A team placed third and the Men's B team took fourth place in their respective divisions.
The next competition will be ESF's annual home meet held in Tully Nov. 5.