SECTION IV FIELD HOCKEY: NEWARK VALLEY NIPS OWEGO IN OT FOR FIRST WIN (2025-10-06)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
NEWARK VALLEY — The Newark Valley field hockey team has been working hard and gaining valuable experience. It paid off on Monday as the Cardinals overcame a 1-0 deficit to defeat Owego, 2-1, in overtime in Section IV action here.

The Cardinals’ Gabi James slipped past a defender, then got a shot past a charging goalie to record the game winner with 3:52 remaining in the 10-minute overtime.

NV coach Jessica Doehring said it was good to get that first win.

“The girls are very excited,” she said.

The Cardinals forced the extra session when Tyla Rundell found the back of the cage with 2:04 to go in regulation.

The game was a scoreless battle for nearly 33 ½ minutes until Michaela Daly broke the deadlock at 11:38 of the third quarter. Daly had been playing defense earlier in the season before being moved to the offense.

“This whole season we've just suffered so many injuries and having to put people in different positions, some that they've never played, it just seems like it's one thing after another for us this year,” Owego coach Ashlee Marsh said.

Among the injured are sisters Carsten and Eva Crawford, both named to the Section IV Division II second team in 2024. Marsh found out about five minutes before the game started that Eva Crawford wouldn’t be able to compete due to a phys ed class injury.

Play was pretty even in the scoreless first half.

“I would say the first quarter for sure,” Doehring said. “I think we had more possession and then it kind of evened out when we came back out after halftime. They definitely had the most possession there and then it just evened out right at the end … tied 1-1 so it was a good close game.”

The River Hawks held a 13-7 advantage in shots while Newark Valley held a 6-4 edge in penalty corners.

Ashleen Callahan made 11 saves in goal for the Cardinals and Lillie Kneller collected five for Owego. Megan Brooks made a key defensive save for NV.

Doehring is looking for a positive boost from the victory.

“Hopefully it'll get them some momentum,” she said. “They've definitely struggled a little bit with maintaining their intensity. We would have really good quarters and then kind of take it easy.

“They really went hard this whole game, so hopefully this builds them up for a successful last two games.”

NV visits Walton on Wednesday while Owego is off until it travels to Greene on Oct. 14.

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IN PHOTO 1: NV’s Gabi James takes the game-winning shot. IN TOP PHOTO: NV’s Billeigh Dawson (L) and Owego’s Ella Binford. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

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