By: Liam Hoffmann
BROCKPORT, NY-- On Senior Day, the Brockport Golden Eagles broke their two-game losing skid with a come-from-behind victory over the Oneonta Red Dragons 10-8. After facing a 7-2 deficit in the third quarter, Brockport stormed back for their fifth victory in SUNYAC play of 2024. Alayna Foos' hat trick helped her reach a career-high 40 goals for the season.
On top of Foos' hatty, Cassidy Burnash recorded six points (2+4) and Sarah Kilburn scored two goals. Goalie Arianna Reed finished with 12 saves against the eight goals she surrendered.
The game started slowly for Brockport similar to their loss Wednesday at Geneseo. Oneonta's tough physical defense disallowed space for Brockport's weapons and goalie Courtney Gallagher had a fantastic first quarter in net with five saves. Foos scored the game's first goal but a 2-0 Oneonta run ended the first frame.
Brockport managed eight shots in the first but their quality wasn't high and thus the low scoring output. In the second, they fired eight more, while still only netting one goal out of it. Cassidy Burnash scored Brockport's second, which following a Lauren Mancini goal for Oneonta early in the quarter, left the Golden Eagles trailing 3-2. Elizabeth Doherty and Marissa Evans each punched in before the half expired and Oneonta led 5-2 at the midway point.
Brockport was unable to swing any momentum back their way early in half two, Cassidy Moore scored a goal from the free position before assisting on Maggie Byrne's that put Oneonta ahead 7-2. Brockport head coach Bryana Glasser called timeout to talk things over.
"She drilled into our brain that 'we have to play, we have to show up,'" Kilburn said. "It was rough to start off, just like the last few games, but I think this one we were able to turn that switch and just go all out and ball out."
From there, the third quarter was all Brockport. Goals from Hailey Lewkovich, Foos, Kilburn, and Paige Thowe ended the quarter and left the Golden Eagles trailing by only one with 15 minutes to play.
Evans found Byrne for a run-ending Oneonta goal in the first 75 seconds of the fourth. Kilburn then scored an improbable bouncer by way of Lewkovich to bring it back within one. Oneonta wouldn't score again as Tristan Davis' second free position opportunity of the game was successful in tying things 8-8. Burnash got the go-ahead goal from the free position minutes later, and Foos' third would be the insurance Brockport needed to secure the in-conference win.
Brockport's second-half defensive adjustments paid dividends in slowing down Oneonta en route to the victory.
"We played more man-to-man because we found that we communicate a lot better with that," Kilburn said." That was a good adjustment to make, especially because it helped us really lock down."
The Golden Eagles move on to their final regular season game where they'll head to Buffalo to face the Buffalo State Bengals on Wednesday. That game will be live on 89.1 the Point with the pregame show set to begin at 5:45 p.m.
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