Redemption for the Red Dragons: Cortland’s Defensive Shift Silences Hill, Captures SUNYAC Crown
The first two times Alexis Hill’s stick touched the ball in Saturday’s SUNYAC Championship game, she scored. But every touch after that came with a trap of two or three Cortland defenders waiting.
Hill entered the championship having scored nine goals in her previous two games vs the Red Dragons. Through just 6 minutes of play, it looked like more of the same, as Hill’s fast start had the Lakers up 2-0 early in the first quarter.
A key defensive adjustment from Cortland halfway through the first quarter flipped Saturday’s SUNYAC championship game. Following the adjustment, Hill was held scoreless by the Red Dragons as they defeated Oswego 9-4 at Laker Turf Stadium. Cortland’s win denies Oswego a second straight SUNYAC conference title.
From the midway point of the first quarter on, every time Hill found the ball, Cortland Head Coach Kelsey Van Alstyne had either a double or triple team of Red Dragon defenders waiting to greet her, with Lucy Ruller leading the way, face-guarding Hill for the remainder of the game.
Adopting an anyone but Hill mentality immediately awoke the dormant Red Dragon offense. Following the defensive adjustment, Cortland outscored Oswego 9-2. The four goals scored by Oswego is their lowest offensive output of this entire season.
When asked about her team’s defensive adjustments, Van Alstyne said, “We knew that she (Hill) was key to shutting down their offense.”
After Hill’s second goal, Oswego struggled to find consistent, clean looks offensively. Passing windows became non-existent as the Red Dragons’ suffocating presence in the neutral zone forced the Lakers to play the majority of the second half in their own zone.
For Oswego, the loss snaps an 11-game winning streak and their hopes of winning back-to-back conference titles. For Cortland, the win serves the Red Dragons a sense of redemption as they shut down Hill, who had consistently dominated their defense in previous meetings.
Hill scored twice in the opening minutes of Saturday’s contest. But after that, every possession turned into a battle, with Cortland never letting her regain the upper hand.
Postgame interview with Cortland Head Coach Kelsey Van Alstyne following the Red Dragons Championship Victory.