Wednesday’s game was the final home game for five seniors, all of whom have made significant contributions to the team over the last three seasons, helping the Thoroughbreds amass an impressive overall record of 38-15-6 during that time.  

In a strong home showing the senior led Thoroughbreds took control of the game early, maintaining possession throughout much of the first half. Senior Anna Cerio (Alfred, NY) put Skidmore on the board just before halftime with a well-placed header into the back of the net directly off a corner kick from Marianna Grigorov (Ithaca, NY).  

The goal was the sixth for the season for Cerio, who leads the team in assists and is second in scoring behind junior Rachael Sushner (Potomac, MD).

Skidmore continued its domination into the second half, scoring another goal in the 60th minute off the foot of sophomore Erica Coolbaugh (Sudbury, Mass).

“We had good possession in the first half, but didn’t settle down until the second half,” said head coach Sarah Cooper. “We played well, had good scoring opportunities, and kept the intensity going throughout the game.”

The Thoroughbreds out shot the Hawks 22-2 over the course of the game, and were able to shut down Hartwick’s leading scorer Kristen Mellan (Hillsdale, NY). The loss drops the Hawks record to 7-11 for the season.

Senior goalkeeper Liza Mills (Setauket, NY) had one save in Skidmore’s tenth shutout of the season. Mills recently received Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors in the Liberty League for the week ending October 21st.

Despite a challenging start to the season, the Thoroughbreds came into Wednesday’s game winners of five out of six games, including a 2-0 victory over Vassar College last Sunday to clinch a spot in the upcoming Liberty League playoffs.

Skidmore travels to Plattsburgh State University this Saturday in their final regular season game before heading to the playoffs.

“Plattsburgh is a good team that is dangerous on offense,” said Cooper. “It will be a good game to use as preparation for the tournament.”

Hamilton and William Smith currently sit atop the Liberty League tied for first place, with Union and Skidmore rounding out the top four. The results from non-conference games this weekend will determine the seedings for the upcoming tournament.

The Thoroughbreds will look to avenge earlier 0-1 regular season losses to both Hamilton and William Smith come tournament time.

The keys for Skidmore’s success, according to Cooper, are “to work hard from the beginning of the game, play smart and with composure, and enforce our game rather than falling into the opposition’s game.”

Regardless of the opponent, next week’s games will be toughly fought by the Thoroughbreds and their corps of senior players who hope to advance beyond the first round into the Championship game.

More information on the Thoroughbreds, including to up-to-date game schedules and results, can be found at www.skidmore.edu/athletics.