ELMIRA - Fredonia State improved to 7-2-1 with a 4-1 women's soccer non-conference win Tuesday at Elmira College.
The Blue Devils scored three goals in the second half, two by Katie Kleine, to break a 1-1 tie at halftime.
"In the second half we played outstanding," Fredonia State head coach Chris Case said. "We scored three goals in the first 15 minutes. We came out with a much different attitude in the second half, whereas in the first half, I think we were just coasting."
Kristi Putzig and Reilly Condidorio also scored goals. Condidorio added an assist while Catie Hale and Maria Green also had one assist each.
"Everybody played better," Case said of his team's play in the second half. "Everybody contributed. We created more chances in the first four minutes of the second half than we did in the first."
Fredonia State goalkeeper Meaghan Meszaros made six saves.
The Blue Devils return to SUNYAC action Friday when they play host to Oswego at 4 p.m.
Putzig opened the scoring at 21:10 when she converted a shot by Hale which bounced down off the cross bar. Putzig had fired a shot off the bar minutes earlier.
Elmira took under two minutes to tie the game on a goal by Janine Swanson off a rebound at 13:37.
"To be honest, we didn't play that well in the first half," Case said. "I thought we got outplayed in the first half. We spent 35-of-45 minutes defending. I was really disappointed in our play."
Fredonia State took command with two goals in just under two minutes early in the second half.
"It's amazing how our team switched gears," Case said. "And we talked at the end of the game that that has to happen for 90 minutes if we plan on being successful in the (SUNYAC) conference."
Condidorio struck first at 51:10 with a run from starting in the the midfield, past a defender, and shot into the lower left corner. It was her fifth goal of the season and gave the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead.
Kleine made it 3-1 at 53:07 with a shot into the lower right corner following a through ball from Condidorio.
Kleine then padded the lead at 61:06, this time following a arcing pass from Green, followed by a dribble up the right side and a shot into the lower left corner.
The two goals were Kleine's fifth and sixth of the season. She leads the team in the category.
Men's Cross Country
Ruterbusch Run was part of Homecoming festivities
Fredonia State Track & Field alumni and current team members were among those who gathered Saturday to participate in the Fred Ruterbusch Memorial 5K run over a campus course.
Nick Guarino was the first finisher in 15:27, while Morgan Burrows was the first female finisher. She crossed the line in 17:09. Both are former Blue Devil runners.
Awards were presented to several other alumni based their placement in the race and the decade of their graduation.
They were Tom Wilson, Vince Gugino, Kevin Buzzelli, Cassidy Fritsch, Eric Springer, Ray Szydlo, Vincent Ascolese, Kellie Allen, Nancy Shapiro, Sandra Ebling, and Stacey Curry.
The race has become an annual memorial to the Blue Devils' first All-American in men's track and field. Ruterbusch, a 1978 Fredonia State graduate and a member of the Fredonia State Athletics Hall of Fame, specialized in the javelin and the shot put.
Gathered among former teammates and friends of Ruterbusch were members of the 2012-13 men's and women's track and field/cross country teams.
"It was great having the teams involved this year," alum Dennis McGrath said, "and it greatly increased the participation and the electricity on Saturday having them there in such large numbers, helping out, and just being there to support the event and encourage the participants."
The Ruterbusch family was represented by Fred's cousin, Chris, and his Chris's wife, Julie, from Michigan.
"They had never been to Fredonia State before, but toured the campus on Friday and talked to many alums on Saturday who knew Fred, all of whom shared some 'Fred stories' with them," McGrath said. "They were blown away by Fredonia State, by the Freddie stories - they had a few of their own too - by Fred's persona among our T&F/XC alums and more."
