Saturday was a family reunion, of sorts, for the Eisenhut family. Greg and Kathleen Eisenhut, of Mohawk, New York, were at Frank Bailey Field during the afternoon to watch their son, Cliff, who is a junior place-kicker at Union, kick a 32-yard field goal and both extra points as the Dutchmen beat Coast Guard, 17-12, in football. That night, also on Bailey Field, the couple saw their daughters compete against each other for the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's regular-season soccer championship. Union freshman Erika scored what proved to be the game-winning goal to lead the Dutchwomen over St. Lawrence, and her older sister, Meredith, 2-0.
Erika's goal against the Saints was her fourth of a three-victory week for the Dutchwomen (now 12-4 overall and winners of seven in a row), and the third-straight game in which she has scored the game-winning tally. Her efforts earned her the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's “Player of the Week” award. Erika leads Union's scoring with 17 points (seven goals & three assists) while Meredith, who has a career total of 41 goals, 11 assists and 93 points) leads the Saints' scoring this year with 6-4-16.
Union, which has one regular-season game remaining with Nazareth, (on November 2 at 2:30 p.m. on Bailey Field), will host the first UCAA Tournament on November 9th and 10th. The Dutchwomen will take on No. 4 Hamilton Saturday at 11 a.m. with No. 2 William Smith battling No. 3 St. Lawrence at 1:30. The tournament championship game will be held on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the victor receiving the UCAA's automatic NCAA berth. The Dutchwomen are looking for their third consecutive invitation to the national championship event.
Meredith Eisenhut, who set up the Saturday night showdown by scoring the game-winning goal in Friday's 2-1 double overtime victory over Skidmore, is arguably the best female athlete ever to put on a St. Lawrence uniform, earning UCAA Player of the Year status in soccer, basketball and softball during the 2000-01 academic year. Eisenhut was a Regional All America selection in soccer following the 2000 season, and was named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division III Player of the Year last year. A consistent Dean's List student, Eisenhut earned membership in Pi Mu Epsilon, Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa.
Cliff, a junior placekicker for the football team and a outfielder on the Dutchmen's 2002 ECAC Upstate New York championship team, has sat behind All-American kicker Andrew Ruffo the last two seasons. However, when his opportunity came this year, Cliff responded by connecting on his first nine field goal attempts. In fact, he had No. 10 in the bag against the University of Rochester only to have the three-pointer pulled off the board because of a penalty. He missed the second try at No. 10 and was wide on this 11th kick before connecting his last two to make him 11 for 13 for the year. His 14 of 17 point after touchdown kicks makes him the 5-2 Dutchmen's scoring leader with 47 points.
Erika, who like her brother and sister, is a graduate of Mohawk Central School in Herkimer County, will join the basketball team after the soccer season ends. A National Honor Society student and an All-State basketball and soccer player for Mohawk Central, Erika was the All-Mohawk Valley “Player of the Year” following her senior campaign.