MORAVIA –– It was a milestone night for Marathon field hockey head coach Karen Funk Thursday at the Scarry Athletic Complex. Her team won a thriller in double overtime against Moravia, 2-1, and in turn earned her 600th win as head coach.
Funk is in her 51st season has head coach and has led Marathon to nine state championships.
“It’s a lot of games,” Funk said. “When you put in the losses, the ties and you know I’ve been doing it long enough that I don’t count the games. The last couple of weeks it’s been mentioned every single time. It’s amazing. I coach it because I love watching these girls play. If there was a team that would do it for me, this would be it.”
Marathon seemed poised early on to cruise to Funk’s milestone. The Olympians took less than six minutes to find the back of the net when Audrey Ensign cashed in off a corner and beat Moravia goalie Lucy Coningsby. Marathon piled on chances throughout the first half while Moravia struggled to generate any response offensively. Despite controlling the first half, Funk knew it would take a complete game to defeat the Blue Devils.
“You know coming to Moravia, it’s always a tough game,” Funk said. “You play well and you never know what it’s going to be. I thought the first half we had it. The defense really stepped up.”
When the whistle blew to begin the second half, it was like a new Moravia team had taken the field. The Blue Devils began to control the game further and did enough to tie the game when Maeve Green found Brooklyn Lott for the equalizer.
The game became a stalemate from there. Both sides traded chances end to end and both goalies made critical, timely saves for their team. With 3:31 to play in regulation it seemed Marathon had the game won when they were award a stroke. Coningsby kept her team alive, stonewalling the chance and eventually sending the game to overtime.
The two teams once again traded chances in the first overtime, but neither side could deliver the winner. The game ended much like it started in double overtime, when Ensign won a scrum in front of the net to slam home her second goal of the game. Ensign was relieved and in disbelief after burying the game winner.
“I was like, ‘Holy cow, I can’t believe I did this,’” Ensign said. “I was definitely under a lot of pressure. I was like, ‘I’ve got to get my stick down, get this in for my team and for my coach.’”
Funk is hoping her team’s second overtime win of the season can jumpstart them for the stretch run.
“Now that I think about it, I’m thinking maybe this is what the team needed to know just what they can do,” Funk said. “I hope it carries through the rest of the regular season and then it’d be a great springboard to the postseason, so we’ll see what happens.
Marathon returns to action at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against Greene. Moravia will be back at the Scarry Athletic Complex at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, when it hosts Walton.
BOYS SOCCER
CORTLAND 1, SOLVAY 0
Cal Albright put away a first-half goal as Cortland earned a season sweep of Solvay. Austin Lind recorded the assist on Albright’s goal and Liam Burns saved three shots.
HOMER 1, PHOENIX 1
Homer scored a first-half goal, but Phoenix responded after the break and the game remained a draw.
GIRLS SOCCER
CINCINNATUS 8, DERUYTER 0
Lucy Finch went for four goals as Cincinnatus moved to 13-0 and handed DeRuyter its second loss of the season.
Mandi Waltz, Cassia Schuyler and Ava Larrabee all recorded a goal and an assist for the Lions, Jocelyn Turshman scored once and Payton Landers recorded two assists.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
FOOTBALL
Mexico at Cortland, 6:30 p.m. today
Homer at Indian River, 7 p.m. today
Waverly at Dryden, 7 p.m. today
Skaneateles at Southern Hills, 6:30 p.m. today
Elmira Heights at Moravia, 7 p.m. today
Catskill at Groton, 1 p.m. Saturday
BOYS SOCCER
Cincinnatus at Marathon, 4:30 p.m. today
McGraw at Otselic Valley, 7:30 p.m. today
Cortland at Homer, 1 p.m. Saturday
Tully at Dryden, 11 a.m. Saturday
DeRuyter vs. Holland Patent, noon Saturday at Kuyahoora Town Park
DeRuyter vs. Poland or Adirondack, Sunday at Kuyahoora Town Park
GIRLS SOCCER
Cortland at Fulton, 5:30 p.m. today
McGraw at Otselic Valley, 5:30 p.m. today
Onondaga/LaFayette at Tully, 4:30 p.m. today
Carthage at Homer, 11 a.m. Saturday
DeRuyter vs. West Canada Valley, 10 a.m. Saturday at Kuyahoora Town Park
DeRuyter vs. Poland or Little Falls, Sunday at Kuyahoora Town Park
Brookfield at McGraw, 2 p.m. Monday
Fabius-Pompey at Cincinnatus, 4:30 p.m. Monday
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Cortland at Homer, 6 p.m. today
Homer at Marcellus, 8 a.m. Saturday
Groton, Moravia at Dryden, 8 a.m. Saturday
FIELD HOCKEY
Cortland at Homer, 5 p.m. today
CROSS COUNTRY
Cincinnatus, Dryden, Tully at Newark Valley, 3:45 p.m. today
Homer, Tully at V-V-S, 10 a.m. Saturday
Moravia at Manhattan Invitational, 9 a.m. Sunday
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING
Dryden at Elmira, 9 a.m. Saturday
