Women's Soccer Win the Queen of the Hill Cup

The Mighty Oaks women's soccer team had a full slate of games the week of Oct. 3, going 3-1, including a 6-0 win over Onondaga Community College to claim the Queen of the Hill Cup for the fourth straight year.

The week started with a hard-fought, 1-0 road victory over the Wildcats of Cazenovia College Oct. 4. Senior Heather Carl scored the Mighty Oaks' only goal at the 42nd minute of the first half when she beat her defender and shot the ball past a diving Wildcats keeper. The goal was Carl's 15th of the season.

The team faced off against cross-town rivals Onondaga Community College in the annual Queen of the Hill Cup Oct. 6. ESF wasted no time, scoring right away when sophomore Shannon Gordinier found the back of the net only two minutes into the game. Carl answered with another goal at the 15-minute mark, quickly putting ESF up 2-0. Junior Natalee Wrege chipped in a goal at the 36th minute, giving the Mighty Oaks a 3-0 lead going into halftime. Second-half goals by Carl, Wrege and junior Anna Bishop gave the Mighty Oaks a 6-0 win over the Lazers and another year as Queen of the Hill Cup champs.

The team faced conference rivals Berkeley College on senior day, Oct. 8. Before the game, the Mighty Oaks recognized their lone senior, Carl, who is team captain. Carl left on a strong note in her final home game for ESF, notching a hat trick as the Mighty Oaks rolled past the Knights 9-0.

The following day, the Mighty Oaks faced off against the USCAA defending national champions, University of Maine at Fort Kent. The Bengals scored in the opening minute off a goal from junior forward Sherifatu Sumaila. Sumaila is member of the under-20 Ghanaian national team. The Mighty Oaks countered three minutes later when junior Lauren Archer found the back of the net off a pass from Bishop. Sumaila fired back with two consecutive goals in a span of two minutes, giving the Bengals an early 3-1 lead. The Mighty Oaks' defense finally settled in and began containing Sumaila and the high-powered Bengal offense. Bishop scored in the 29th minute off a Carl assist to go into halftime down only 3-2. During the second half, the Mighty Oaks held their own against the four-time national champs. Keeper Kiki Hilmer made 22 saves to keep the game from turning into a blowout. An insurance goal at the 86th minute by junior Catherine Bruno put the Bengals up 4-2 and the game out of reach for the Mighty Oaks.

With the loss, the team falls to 7-2-1 overall, 2-1 in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) play. The team is ranked sixth nationally in the USCAA power rankings and has two games remaining in the 2016 season, including a showdown against number seven-ranked Bryant and Stratton College Oct. 16.