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Mighty Oaks Sports Weekend Recap (Week of Oct. 15)
The Mighty Oaks men's and women's soccer teams have qualified for the HVIAC tournament for the third year in a row. The top four teams in the conference earn a spot in the post season tournament.
It was a must-win situation for the men's team versus The College of New Rochelle. A loss would have sent ESF home for the season and given Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences a spot in the tournament. A win for ESF, on the other hand, would qualify the Mighty Oaks and eliminate Albany Pharmacy. That reality sent the Mighty Oaks into the game with a renewed purpose on senior day.
The men's team opened play by putting the Blue Angels on their heels, netting two goals (third minute and 17th-minute) by halftime. Both goals came from senior forward Matt Hoppe and an assist from freshman Jack Phillips. Hoppe, who was the goalkeeper for the Mighty Oaks the past two seasons, has thrived in his new role as a field player.
The Mighty Oaks allowed only one goal in the second half and fought off a talented and technical Blue Angels team to win 2-1.
"This season as a whole has been filled with hard work and celebration but some heartbreaking losses in key games too. Scoring two goals on senior day and securing the No. 2 seed in conference playoffs seemed like something out of a movie to me. I'm so glad I was able to do it for my team and I give all the credit to the hard working guys around me," Hoppe said.
The men's team ended its regular season with a 6-6 overall record, 4-2 in the HVIAC. The team clinched the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and will face The King's College Oct. 27 in the semifinals at Albany Pharmacy.
The women's team had already qualified for the post season tournament but the players went into the weekeng knowing that a win over New Rochelle would give ESF a higher seed. The squad took the field on senior day and came away with a 8-0 win.
Sophomore midfielder Theresa Ferrigno scored a hat-trick for the Mighty Oaks.
"I am so lucky to be part of a young team with such great chemistry. We basically lost our entire starting lineup from last year, but we've come a very long way in a very short amount of time. I see us carrying this energy into the conference playoffs this weekend as we take on King's College in the semifinals," Ferrigno said.
Also scoring for ESF was junior McKenna Pason, who got her first collegiate goal. The Mighty Oaks also charted goals by freshman Rachael Foote and junior Alyssa Hughes, and two by junior Maureen McCarthy.
The women's team finished the regular season with a 5-4 overall record, 2-1 in conference play. The team clinched the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and will face The King's College Oct. 27 in the semifinals.
Ten seniors were recognized before the start of each game. From the women's team the honorees were Renee Perrotte, Rachel Truska, Maeline Hollenbeck and Sarah Wohlfahrt. From the men's team, honors went to Nick Vanbennekum, Matt Hoppe, Nick Schiera, Cooper Weinman, Geoff Golick and George Beinetti.
Woodmen's Team
The ESF Woodsmen's team held its annual home meet at the Tully Field Station. The
women's team was the overall winner in its division, winning the following events:
team crosscut, pulp toss, log roll, packboard race, single buck, hard hit and underhand
chop. The men's team placed second overall, winning the cookie stack event, obstacle
pole and firebuild. The Jack & Jill team placed third in a large field.
The team will finish up the season Nov. 3 at Finger Lakes Community College.