Brockport women’s soccer trumps Knights

The Brockport women’s soccer team wrapped up a trying four-game road trip Saturday, Oct. 6 when it traveled to Geneseo to take on the Knights.

The Eagles went into Geneseo coming off of a 4-0 win over the Canton Kangaroos. Scoring many goals has been commonplace this season for the Eagles, as this was the fifth game this season when they scored at least four goals.

However, it would be their defense that pulled them through Saturday, as they earned the victory in a tight 1-0 game.

The win moves the Eagles’ overall record to 9-1-2, while their SUNYAC record goes to 3-1-1.

Coach Joan Schockow said she believes the four-game trip was the biggest test her team has faced all season.

“All the places we had to play at are very tough,” Schockow said. “We haven’t had much success at Oneonta, and the loss was disappointing, but we weren’t surprised. It was nice to come away with a tie at New Paltz, who made the Sweet Sixteen last year, and even coming down here to Geneseo and getting the win was huge for us.”

The important win did not come easy for the Eagles.

The game stayed tied at 0-0 until junior forward Vanessa Gillette put home her 10th goal of the season at the 32:31 mark in the first half. The junior forward is currently leading all SUNYAC players with 24 total points scored.

Gillette is six points ahead of New Paltz forwards Samantha Abravanel and Shelby Kondelka, who each have 18 points.  Abravanel has six goals and six assists, while Kondelka has seven goals and four assists.

The Knights came out more aggressive in the second half of play, outshooting the Eagles 6-2.

Sophomore goalkeeper Laura Thompson was on her game, playing all 90 minutes in goal and earning her second shutout of the season. It was the second consecutive shutout for the Eagles.

Schockow said while the Eagles’ strong defensive play takes some of the pressure off of the offense, the team is accustomed to these low-scoring games in conference play.

“I definitely think it helps, but you also have to realize how tough the SUNYAC competition is,” Schockow said. “We had a couple of games where we scored a lot against Buffalo State and Fredonia, but that’s usually not the case. Usually in these games it’s a really close score, so it’s nice they got the shutout, but we figured it could be like that anyways.”

Many of the Eagles’ key players are in their first year with the team, and while they have adapted to one another during the season, Schockow says they will still improve more as a team.

“They still have a little more to go,” Schockow said. “We are picking up our intensity as the games are getting more physical and intense, and that’s a good thing to lead us into next week.”

The Eagles play two games on the road this weekend, traveling to Cortland Friday, Oct. 12 to take on the Red Dragons and Oswego Saturday, Oct. 13 to take on the Lakers.

Last season, the Eagles fell to the Red Dragons at home while splitting a pair of games with the Lakers, including a 2-1 loss in the ECAC tournament.