ONEONTA, NY — Junior Kerry Birnstill scored 14 minutes into the overtime period to send top-seeded Oneonta to the finals of the New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament following a 3-2 victory over fourth-seeded SUNY New Paltz this afternoon.
In a scramble in front of the net, Birnstill gathered the ball and slapped it past SUNY New Paltz sophomore goalie Nicole Kovac (Manlius, NY) to put the Red Dragons in tomorrow’s championship game against second-seeded Ithaca.
SUNY New Paltz (8-12) forced overtime in the closing minutes of the game when junior Patricia Erikson (Massapequa Park, NY) tipped in a shot from outside the circle by junior Kate Schoonmaker (High Falls, NY). The Hawks were down 2-1 with 1:40 remaining when they came up with the equalizer.
The Hawks took a 1-0 when Erikson scored off a rebound with five seconds left in the first half. Birnstill assisted on the game-tying goal for Oneonta (14-6) midway through the second half and junior Rachel Decker gave the Red Dragons their first lead of the game when she deflected in a shot with 11 minutes remaining.
