Hamilton’s nationally ranked field hockey team (№15) is off to a strong start in the 2017 fall season, boasting a 2–1 overall record with an undefeated 1–0 record in the NESCAC two weeks into the season. Through three games, Michaela Giuttari ’20 already leads the conference in scoring with five goals, leading a potent Continentals’ attack.

Hamilton’s first game was against the non-conference Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute last week on Sept. 5, their first with seasoned coach Missy Mariano at the helm of the team. RPI, who as a team went 10–7 overall in the 2016 season, was a tough first opponent for the Continentals. Nonetheless, Hamilton rode their momentum from last season to an easy 7–2 victory over the RPI Engineers, with those seven goals being the highest scored in any single game in the 26-game series between the two schools.

RPI tallied two goals late in the first half, but their scoring halted quickly as Hamilton’s All-American goaltender, Julia Booth ’19, made eight saves and backstopped the team to an encouraging victory, playing a perfect second half. Giuttari, fresh off of a NESCAC Rookie of the Year season, recorded her first career three-goal game; her goals alone would have won the game for the Continentals. Not to be denied a decisive win, three other players contributed goals. Lizzie Clarke ’20 and Eleni Neyland ’18 each scored once, with Neyland’s goal coming as her career first. To top off an already remarkable game, first-year Maddie Beitler ’21 notched two goals in her first ever collegiate field hockey game.

The Continentals faced their first division rival of the season — Bates College — on Sept. 9, which was also their first home game of the season. The opposite of the blowout of the first game, the nail-biter went into overtime and resulted in a 3–2 Hamilton College victory with only 5 minutes left. The game combined excellent goaltending on the part of Booth with another infusion of youth into the lineup that resulted in another win for the Continentals.

Sarah Pierpont ’21 was the name of the game during Saturday’s match against Bates, with the first-year both beginning and ending the scoring for the game as well as tallying an assist. The Connecticut native made her first collegiate start during the game and netted one for the Continentals just a minute and eleven seconds into play. Bates responded with two consecutive goals in the second half and carried a single point lead until the last seven minutes of play. Hamilton penalties left the Continentals down two players, and the game seemed sealed for the Bobcats. Sarah Stinebaugh ’19, coming off of the sidelines after her green card penalty, immediately took a pass from Pierpont and tied the game 2–1 with 6 minutes and 32 seconds left.

The game entered into sudden death overtime, with the first player to score winning the game for their team. That opportunity came for the Continentals in the first half of overtime on the sole penalty corner of overtime. The ball deflected off the stick of a Bobcat defender and Pierpont, not to be denied a dramatic finish to the game, batted the ball out of midair and into the Bates cage for a 3–2 overtime win.

The Continentals met their first nationally ranked opponent on Tuesday, Sept. 12, when the Continentals travelled to Saratoga Springs, NY to play the Skidmore Thoroughbreds.

The Thoroughbreds entered Tuesday’s match-up ranked ninth in Division III field hockey, and proved themselves as a top-10 team with a 3–2 victory over Hamilton.

Giuttari added to her season goal total scoring twice for the Continentals on 12 shots. Skidmore goalie Zoe McGuire ’18 played a dominant game in net for the Thoroughbreds, making 12 saves to preserve a narrow one-goal margin.

5 Middlebury at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17. Hamilton’s field hockey team plays their next home game on Tuesday, Sept. 26 against Utica College at 5:30 p.m. Their next home conference game is against Wesleyan University on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 11:00 a.m.