The Lady Hawks’ soccer season ended in disappointment after losing a sudden death shoot-out against Buffalo State’s soccer team. Despite this disappointment, the team had a better season than the last, with a record of 7-8-4 and a determination to do even better next season.
“Overall I think we had a good season. We finished higher in our conference than we did in the previous year and made it back to the SUNYAC Championships after missing out last year,” said Women’s Soccer Head Coach Colleen Bruley, “We had some tough losses, but each loss we had was against a team that has been ranked in either the region or the nation at some point this year.”
Bruley said the team will build off this experience for next year. While the team faced some tough losses early in the season, team captains Shannon Cobb and Brittany Bennett know they and the rest of the team have a list of accomplishments to be proud of.
“In my three years here it was definitely a good season compared to last year,” Cobb, a third-year, said.
“A highlight we had was definitely our Brockport-Geneseo weekend. We really played well and showed our potential as a team. I definitely think those were games that we were really proud of. We came together as a team and turned our season around,” Bennett, a fourth-year, said.
Cobb agreed with Bennett, and said the Hawks always struggled against SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo in years past, making the wins more significant.
“It was definitely a memorable weekend, one that I probably won’t forget. I have wanted to beat those teams, especially Geneseo, for a long time,” Cobb said.
Another highlight of the season was the addition of second-year Shelby Kondelka, who transferred to New Paltz from SUNY Plattsburgh and had a strong season for the Hawks. Kondelka is expected to be a driving force for the team in the future.
“Shelby Kondelka made a huge impact for us as a target player and goal scorer. She has great vision and ability on the field and she helped us get to where we did this year,” Bruley said.
Another impact player for the Hawks this season was their goaltender, Stephanie Vega.
“Stephanie Vega also pulled out some great saves for us this year and definitely had an impact on the success that we did have,” said Bruley. “When she played well, the team played well.”
Bruley also said that there were many other players who contribute to the team’s success, and it never seemed to be the same person. The ability of the entire team to contribute towards success will be vital for the team and something they will keep in mind when they are focusing on making the next season even better than this one. But for now, the team knows exactly what they need to improve upon.
“We are losing a couple key players next season so we have some spots to fill. However, I definitely think if we bring in a few strong freshmen to supplement the girls we have now we would be looking pretty good for next season.”
Cobb said the biggest thing the team needs to work on for next season is playing to their potential consistently.
“They have already been in my office talking about next year, and that can only be a positive,” said Coach Bruley. “They are excited and so am I. I feel we can be even stronger next season.”