George, Purcell lead # 1 Herkimer to road win at North Country
Saranac Lake, NY - On Wednesday afternoon, the #1 Ranked team in the country traveled to Saranac Lake to take on the North Country Saints. The Generals didn’t waste time creating opportunities but they didn’t finish one until the 22nd minute when Kristen Purcell (Sauquoit, NY) laid the ball off to Haley Harrington (Munnsville, NY) who found the back of the net. The lead didn’t last long as North Country quickly answered off a couple Herkimer miscommunications to tie the score 22 seconds later. Herkimer wouldn’t reclaim the lead until just before half when Purcell would find Sarah George (Dolgeville, NY) who played a through ball to Ashley Capron( Burnt Hills, NY) for the easy finish and a 2-1 halftime lead.
After halftime the Generals cranked up the defensive pressure & offensive chances as Alexis Romeyn (St Johnsville, NY) crossed a ball into George who headed it home off a Saints defender just 4 minutes into the second half. The final tally came when Purcell played a through ball to spring an open George who touched by the keeper to make it a 4-1 final. The Generals outshot the Saints 24 to 6. After the game Coach Palkovic reflected on the victory, “It is always tough to play North Country on their field here. To come in and get a 4-1 win, I’ll take it. We played well overall and just need to finish some more of our chances but a good win today against a gritty North Country team.”
The Generals hit the road once again this weekend for two games out in Western New York. On Saturday, they travel to Buffalo to take on the undefeated Erie Kats, who are ranked 4th in the country in the latest NJCAA Division III Women's Soccer Poll. Game time for Saturday is 1:00 PM. On Sunday, the Generals take on Niagara CCC at 12:00 PM in Sanborn, NY.