# 1 Herkimer Women fall in close one at # 4 Erie CC
Buffalo, NY -The #1 Nationally ranked Herkimer Generals traveled to Buffalo on Saturday to take the #4 ranked Erie Kats. The matchup would live up to the hype as much of the country was interested to see how the game would go. Usually the Generals are the ones to get on the scoreboard first and early but it was Erie who grab the lead 6 minutes in as an Erie defender would collect a clearance and find the upper corner for the 1-0 lead. It didn’t last long as the Generals answered right back a minute and a half later. Maddie Renshaw (Herkimer, NY) dribbled a couple Erie players to find Ashley Capron (Burnt Hills, NY) for the equalizer. Erie would again reclaim the lead from an Annaliese Ziemann shot in the 22nd minute. Erie would double their lead 16 minutes later off a Jenna Scheible finish for a 3-1 halftime lead.
The Generals tried to regroup at halftime but Erie continued where they left off in the first half courtesy of an own goal in the 51st minute & goal from Jillian Spangler in the 59th minute. Herkimer wouldn’t quit and picked up the intensity as Freshman Kristin Purcell (Sauquoit, NY) would lead the Generals back. Ashley Capron found Purcell with a good through ball who then found the back of the net in the 68th minute to make it 5-2. Purcell would strike again 15 minutes later on a great free kick placed inside the far post. She wasn’t done there as she buried another free kick in the 88th minute to make it 5-4 giving her a natural hat trick for the game. It was an interesting last 2 minutes but the Generals just ran out of time to tie it up.
After the game Coach Palkovic expressed his pleasure with his team’s not to quit mentality, “This is another extremely tough place to come play against a very good team. We didn’t by any means play our best game today, but to get it to 5-4 against one of the better teams in country only playing part of the game to our potential says something about this group. There are always games where you won’t play the best you can but you have to fight through it and the ladies showed it today they have the fight and will. I believe this will make us stronger and we will learn from this.” The Generals are back in action home this Wednesday against Hudson Valley at 7:00.