(photo by Travis Bernhard)
Fredonia State picked up a dramatic 9-8 road victory over Potsdam on Saturday in a game that took to two overtimes to decide the winner.
With this win, Fredonia State moves to 7-7 overall and 3-3 in SUNYAC play and currently sits in the sixth and final playoff spot.
Potsdam opened the scoring early, but Fredonia State answered quickly as Mieley Baran tied the game on a man-up goal before Leah Kunisch finished a feed from Baran to give the Devils a 2-1 lead after the first. In the second quarter, Potsdam briefly evened things up before Katie O'Brien buried a pass from Kunisch to regain the lead. Megan Karalus followed with a late goal off an Emma Carlson assist, pushing Fredonia State ahead 4-2 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Bears surge with five goals to take the lead, but Fredonia State continued to respond. Kunisch scored off a Piper Evangelist assist, and Karalus added her second goal to keep the Devils within striking distance. Potsdam held a 7-6 advantage late in the quarter before play shifted to the fourth.
In the fourth, Baran tied the game once again on a man-up opportunity. Potsdam answered to go back in front, but Kunisch delivered a clutch goal off a Jenna Slamka assist to even the score at 8-8. The extra periods remained scoreless until the final moments of double overtime, when Baran finished a feed from Piper Evangelist with just one second remaining, sealing the 9-8 win at the horn.
Baran and Kunisch led the Fredonia State offense with three goals apiece, each adding an assist for four point performances. For the Bears, Megan MacWilliams led with three goals and two assists, while Jayla Thompson added two goals and an assist.
In goal, Jessica Kowalski recorded seven saves to earn the win while Potsdam's Olivia Minarich turned aside 13 shots.
The Devils will be back in action Wednesday, April 15 at 4 p.m. on the road against Cortland in a conference matchup.
