UTICA, NY – Defense and DiNitto propelled SUNYIT (7-7, 6-3 NEAC) over SUNY Cobleskill (3-9-2, 2-5-2) on Wednesday, by a score of 4 to nil. Senior standout Nicole DiNitto (Oriskany NY/Oriskany) recorded a hat-trick on the day with three goals, and sophomore Abbey Hanehan (Stillwater, NY/Stillwater) added one to round out the scoring for the day.
After a balmy home match for the men yesterday, Mother Nature served up a bitter-cold fall day for the women. Both sides could be forgiven for struggling to warm up at the start, and the game remained scoreless into the 31st minute. However, DiNitto, an all-conference player, couldn't be restrained for long. With the help of a brilliant corner kick from sophomore Amanda Zarek (Massapequa, NY/ Farmingdale), the senior forward beat the keeper for the game's first score at 31:42.
Moments later DiNitto had another opportunity from in front of the goal, but her kick was deflected and Cobleskill goalie Jody Pendergast was just able to get a hand on the ball. The play signified a marked ramp-up in the Wildcats' play:
"We played a real nice 90 minutes – we just didn't have the results from the effort in the first 45 that we should've," said Coach Tyler Renaud, referring to a flurry of shots by the Wildcats late in the first period that came up just short, "But I think we controlled the play for the majority of the match."
The effort eventually paid off in the second period, as DiNitto recorded her second goal of the game on a hard kick to the upper right portion of the goal. DiNitto is known for her skill playing with her back to the goal, and she used this to advantage in setting herself up for the kick.
Not to be lost among DiNitto's performance was the play of sophomore Stephanie Wurz (Utica, NY/Notre Dame). The midfielder came off the bench to record two assists in the second half, helping to solidify the Wildcats' lead.
DiNitto's three goals give her ten for the season, vaulting her into a tie for third-place in the conference with Whitney Heisse of the Lancaster Bible Chargers (12-1, 7-0 NEAC). SUNYIT will face the Chargers this weekend.
"They're a great side," said Renaud of the ensuing match up, "They're undefeated in conference play; we were undefeated in conference play last year and everyone wanted to knock us off, so we're going to try to put a good 90 minutes together and take our shot."
Game time for the Wildcats' next game this Saturday is set for 2:00 pm.
