Barker to face familiar foe in East Rochester in field hockey regional on Saturday

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Barker players and coaches, shown here celebrating after Thursday’s Section VI Class C championship win will next face East Rochester in the Far West Regional on Saturday at Penfield High School.

Fresh from capturing a 13th Section VI Class C championship in the last 17 years, Barker will next face a very familiar foe as the Lady Raiders will take on East Rochester in the Class C Far West Regional at 7 p.m. Saturday at Penfield High School.

This will be the 15th meeting in the regionals between Barker and East Rochester since 1997.

East Rochester, which earns an automatic berth in the regionals as the only Class C field hockey team in Section V, holds a 10-4 lead in the series. The Lady Bombers won the most recent meeting 3-2 in 2016 while the Lady Raiders last win was in 2013 by a 1-0 margin.

Barker had to rally in dramatic fashion for two goals in the final 14 minutes to edge past Eden 2-1 in the Section VI title contest in the rain on Thursday evening at Williamsville North. Katrina Clare tied the game by scoring with 14:50 to play and then Natalie Bruning netted the game winner with only 20 seconds to go.

Clare now has a team leading 27 goals on the season while Rachel Hurtgam has 12, Emily Wagner 8, Bruning and Lena Fazzolari 7 an Ciara Gregoire 6.

Barker is now 16-3 overall while East Rochester is 6-11.

The victor will advance to the state semifinals at 3 p.m. November 10 at Williamsville North against the winner of the Long Island regional between Pierson (Section 11) and Carle Place (Section 8).