The Utica College field hockey team lost to visiting Nazareth College 2-1 in Empire 8 Conference action Sunday on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. With the win, Nazareth earned the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament and will take on visiting No. 3 Ithaca College on Saturday.
The Pioneers, who won four out of their last five games headed into Sunday, close out the 2007 season with an 8-9 overall record. UC lost seven games this year by one goal including three overtime losses. Nazareth finishes the regular season 12-5 overall and 4-2 in conference.
Utica opened the scoring when senior captain Laurie Calvasina (Vestal/Apalachin) received a crossing pass from sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Knudsen (Rome Free Academy/Rome) and one-timed it home at 21:21 for her 14th goal of the season. Knudsen wraps up her sophomore campaign with a team-high ten assists. Calvasina closed out her four years at Utica with 24 career goals. The Pioneers were able to hold off a fierce offensive attack by the Golden Flyer for the remainder of the half and took a 1-0 lead into intermission.
Nazareth came out hot in the second half and Kelly Miranda (Ossining/Ossining) tied the game up at the 37:35 mark after she deflected a Megan Grimmer (New Hartford/New Hartford) shot past UC goalie Amanda McDonnell (Portsmouth Abby/Sagamore Beach). Miranda has nine goals on the season, while Grimmer, a senior defender, tallied her third assist.
Kelly Flannigan (Fairport/Fairport), a sophomore forward, netted the game-winner with less than fourteen minutes in the contest when she banged home a rebound for her team-high fourteenth goal of the season. Senior forward Jodee Magistro (Comsewogue/Port Jefferson Station) took the initial shot that was saved by McDonnell and rebounded home by Flannigan.
McDonnell, who stopped a career-high 30 shots in the Pioneers' 2-1 win over Hartwick Wednesday, made 13 saves on the day. Kelsey Evans (Penfield/Penfield) stopped two shots in the win for the Golden Flyers.
Nazareth out shot Utica 19-3 and earned a 9-2 penalty corner advantage.
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