Photos by Jim MacLean
Clockwise from top left, Sofia Valente (left) and Zoe Stonecipher (right) celebrate with Samantha Reder (2) after her goal in the fourth quarter. Abby Locovare makes her move towards the goal for Fox Lane. Fox Lane’s Samantha Reder (2) and Zoe Stonecipher (7) start to celebrate after Reder scored the game-winning goal in overtime to top Ursuline. Fox Lane’s Riley Linehan, Maggie Grasso and Zoe Stonecipher apply the pressure in front of the goal.
By JIM MACLEAN
Both teams knew what was at stake, and the pressure was on as Fox Lane hosted Ursuline on Sept. 30, and the two teams went into overtime knotted up 2-2.
Ursuline was seeded second with Fox Lane right behind in third in the rankings for the Section 1 Class A tournament, and senior captain Samantha Reder was determined to do her part to help the Foxes get the win. Reder ended up with a hat trick, scoring all three goals for Fox Lane including the game-winner in overtime for a 3-2 victory as the Foxes improved to 7-2-1 overall.
“Once I saw it hit the backboard, I was like, finally, this game we had so many opportunities and once I heard that I was so excited, we didn’t want to lose this one,” Reder said of the overtime goal. “They’re a good team and they were ranked above us, so we really wanted to get this for seeding in sectionals. We really worked hard as a team and when we work as a team that’s when we have success.”
Fox Lane was in control throughout the overtime period applying the pressure as the Foxes earned four corners and almost scored, but then Ursuline got a break and went down and earned a corner at the other end. The Foxes cleared it out for a fast break the other way and Reder blasted a shot home for the goal off an assist from Zoe Stonecipher with 2:51 left in the 7-versus-7 10-minute overtime period.
That was the story for most of the game as Fox Lane controlled the action, but Ursuline kept answering back. This time the Foxes on defense with goalie Kayla Santos held them off and the result was the game-winner at the other end to close it out.
“Great things happened all over the field, really great passing, we played as a team, as a whole, and ultimately that gets the job done,” said Fox Lane coach Kim Gigante. “Sam Reder, Abby Locovare, Zoe Stonecipher are three seniors and solid consistent players. Maggie Grasso, Sara Renz, Sofia Valente, Emily Kalarchian, all our starting lineup got the job done against a good team.”
Fox Lane scored first on a goal from Reder to take a 1-0 lead, but Ursuline evened it up in the third period. That set up an action-packed fourth quarter as Fox Lane once again took the lead when Reder scored her second goal on a corner off an assist from Emily Kalarchian. The Foxes kept up the pressure, earning four more corner opportunities, but Ursuline went the other way and Kayla Wells scored to even it up at 2-2 with 2:50 left to play and force the game into overtime.
And once again it was Reder with the answer as the captain and five-year varsity starter came through for the Foxes with the overtime winner.
“She’s just incredible, having fun out there and that’s the main thing,” coach said of Reder. “A hat trick today, especially that winning goal in overtime, she’s hungry. She loves this sport, eats, sleeps and breathes field hockey, and when she puts her mind to it she gets the job done and she sure did that today.”
The Foxes did not have much time to sit back and enjoy the win as Fox Lane had a big game the next day hosting rival Horace Greeley on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the Quakers rolled to a 5-0 victory as the Foxes fell to 7-3-1 overall entering the final two weeks of the regular season heading to the playoffs. The Foxes will return to action with a pair of games back-to-back on the road at White Plains on Tuesday, Oct. 8, followed by a game at Carmel.
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