SUNY New Paltz Women’s Soccer walked away from the weekend earning four points in the SUNYAC tournament after facing Fredonia State on Friday, Oct. 15 and Buffalo State on Saturday, Oct. 16.
The Hawks faced off against Fredonia at 3 p.m. on South Turf Field. Fredonia had a fast start, controlling the ball for the majority of the first half. The Blue Devils capitalized on an opportunity in the seventh minute of play – shooting a ball in the upper corner of the goal, making the score 0-1.
Second-year goalkeeper Kyra Russo stopped three more shots in the first half to keep the score 0-1. The Hawks looked to even out the score off of multiple free kick opportunities, but came up short by the end of the first half.
The Hawks came out with a new energy in the second half and began to control the game. The Hawk’s only goal came from third-year Katie Buquicchio after she dribbled down the field through Fredonia’s defenders to rip a shot inside the Blue Devil’s box.
More shots were attempted by both sides, but none were successful. The game went into double overtime and ended in a tie, earning both teams one point in the SUNYAC tournament.
The following day was Senior Day for the team as they faced off against Buffalo State at 1 p.m. The team has seven players leaving the program after this year: Lisette Palomo, Ciara Devlin, Cailin Ruoti, Olivia Ingalsbe, Sky Pedroza, Danielle Angyal and Brittany Morasse. All seven players started the game.
Similar to Fredonia, Buffalo State struck early, scoring a goal off a cross into the Hawk’s box just before the 10 minute mark. The goal came from Buffalo State’s only shot of the game. The Hawks tried to fire back, taking 12 shots in the first half, but failed to put one into the net.
The Hawk’s turned up the heat in the second half taking 24 shots. The first goal for the Hawks came from a cross by third-year Siena Diaz-Colon and was headed in by Palomo. It was her first collegiate goal.
“It was a defining moment for the game and a special moment in my career,” Palomo said. “To share that experience with my team during my senior game was so special.”
The Hawks were unable to score again in the second half, leading to another overtime.
In the first 10 minute overtime period, the Hawks fired 13 shots — none found the back of the net. Exactly four minutes into the second and final overtime period, Buquicchio came to her team’s rescue again by heading in a corner kick by Emma Voege. The golden goal led to the Hawks victory, 2-1, and awarded them three more points in the SUNYAC tournament.
“It was a big win for us, especially since it’s at the point in the season where every point counts as we try to clinch a spot in the playoffs,” Palomo said.
The victories over the weekend secured the Hawks a spot in the SUNYAC post-season playoffs. It is the first time the women’s soccer team has clinched a spot in the playoffs since 2012.
The Hawks will end their regular season at home next weekend, facing Oswego on Friday, Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. and Cortland on Saturday Oct. 23 at 1 p.m.
