Mighty Oaks Weekend Recap: Women Runners Win SUNY Poly Classic

09/26/2016

The women's cross-country team finished in first place at the 4th Annual SUNY Poly Wildcat Weekend race Sept. 24.

Finishing first for the Mighty Oaks was Marissa Lathrop, who came in fifth overall with a time of 23:57. Sophomore Erin Cuddihy (24:59) and freshman Eden Zickler (25:00) finished in the top 10, coming in ninth and tenth, respectively. Senior Samantha Hollister (25:24) finished in 12th place overall while senior Allison Cronk (25:58) finished 14th. Having five finishers in the top 20 (out of 75 runners) helped propel ESF to the first-place overall finish out of nine teams.

The men's cross-country team finished in second place, behind hosts SUNY Poly. Senior Michael Persson finished third overall with a time of 27:43. Junior Dana Carris finished sixth with a time of 28:03. Rounding out the Mighty Oaks squad was junior Nick Giordano (28:22 - 10th), junior Mitchell Thomas (28:22 - 11th) and sophomore Sean Satchwell (28:43 - 17th).

Both teams race again at the SUNY Geneseo Classic Oct. 1.

Soccer

The Mighty Oak men's and women's soccer teams headed to New York City over the weekend to face their downstate HVIAC rivals. Both teams came away victorious, scoring a combined 24 goals (men — 16, women — 8) and not conceding any goals in three games.

With the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge looming in the background, the women's team faced King's College on Randall's Island Park. ESF came away with a 8-0 victory over the the Purple Knights. Junior Lauren Archer opened up scoring early for the Mighty Oaks with a shot from 18 yards out. Junior Shannon Gordinier was credited with assisting the goal. Senior Captain Heather Carl took over at that point, netting the next three goals for the Mighty Oaks. Junior keeper Kiki Hilmer recorded her second shutout of the season. Carl finished the game with four goals and two assists.

"We possessed the ball well. It was good to work on our passing and swinging the ball through the back line. This game was a great way to start our full schedule next week," said Carl.

With the win, the women's soccer team now has a 3-1-1 overall record and is 1-1 in conference play. The team faces Penn State Hazleton in a non-conference match Sept. 27.

The men's team had similar luck against King's College, blanking the Purple Knights 6-0. Senior forward Owen Hennigan, who had been quiet for the the first four games of the season, exploded for two goals. Hennigan followed up his two-goal performance against the King's the following day with a hat trick against Webb Institute in a 10-0 Mighty Oaks win over the Webbies.

Senior Zack Reda notched 2 goals and provided six assists in the two weekend games.

"Both King's College and Webb Institute played us tough in the beginning of each game, but eventually we were able to wear them down. Not only did we score in abundance, but more importantly we did not get scored on the entire weekend," said Hennigan

The men's team improves to 6-1 overall and will face the Blue Angels of the College of New Rochelle Sept. 30. The Blue Angels are new members of the HVIAC conference and have a 6-1 record.

Golf

The men's golf team travelled to Cornell University to participate in the NCCGA (National Collegiate Golf Association) regional tournament Sept. 24-25. The team finished fifth overall out of 10 teams. Sophomore transfer William Hoffman placed first for the Mighty Oaks with an overall score of 163 (82, 81). Hoffman's score placed him 15th overall out of 71 golfers. Junior Sean Barron came in second for ESF with an overall score of 167 (86, 81). Senior Brian Walsh finished third with a score of 168 (84, 84). Carleton University of Ottawa, Canada, finished first in the two-day event. The men's team will be back in action at Shadow Lake Golf Club in Penfield, New York. in another NCCGA event Oct. 1-2.