The No. 8 Salisbury University women’s field hockey team defeated No. 23 Cortland 4-2 at College Field in Oneonta, New York, to capture the 2026 State University of New York Athletic Conference Championship on November 7. Salisbury University won the SUNYAC title for the second straight season, with Dakotah Trader scoring two goals and recording an assist to earn tournament MVP honors.
Game Summary
Devon DeGregory opened the scoring with a penalty stroke at 12:32 of the first quarter. Cortland tied the game at 1-1 at 22:32, but Salisbury responded when Trader scored at 24:31 off an assist from Layla Kent to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
Alex Kupper extended Salisbury’s advantage to 3-1 at 31:19, scoring off an assist from Trader. Trader added her second goal at 46:40 with Regan Worley recording the assist.
Cortland scored on a penalty stroke at 56:52, but Salisbury held on for the 4-2 victory. The win gave the Sea Gulls their second consecutive SUNYAC championship.
Sea Gulls Control the Championship Match
Salisbury outshot Cortland 25-7 and held a 15-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Sea Gulls also earned 10 penalty corners, compared with six for Cortland.
Maddie Castaneda made two saves in goal for Salisbury. Cortland’s goals came from Tori Peterson and Kaylee Hughen, who scored on the late penalty stroke; Hughen also recorded an assist on Peterson’s goal.
All-Tournament Team
Trader was named tournament MVP after her two-goal, one-assist performance. DeGregory, Worley, Kupper, and Kent joined her on Salisbury’s All-Tournament Team.
Olivia Specht, Hughen, and Peterson represented Cortland on its All-Tournament Team. Layla Sharp and Sam Krautheim represented Oswego, while Abby Draper and Eva Klessel represented Oneonta.
Salisbury finished the regular season with a 15-3 record. The NCAA selection show was scheduled for the following day at 9 p.m.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Salisbury University combined a strong offensive performance with clear advantages in shots, shots on goal, and penalty corners to secure the SUNYAC championship. Trader’s three-point performance provided the key individual contribution as the Sea Gulls won the conference title for a second straight season.
Source: Original report
