The men’s soccer team is seeking to earn a win in SUNYAC play.
The Hawks returned to the win column on Tuesday, Oct. 14 against Mount Saint Mary College as they defeated the Knights 2-1 in a non-conference matchup to close out their six-game road trip.
The Knights took the lead early in the game as fourth-year forward Matt Garcia put his team on the board with a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute.
Third-year forward Jason Gonzalez scored both goals for his team in the 55th and 79th minutes to give the team the lead and the win. Both goals were unassisted. Gonzalez leads the Hawks in goals with a total of six.
Hawks fourth-year goaltender Steven Domino recorded three saves to earn his second win of the season.
With the win, New Paltz ended the team’s nine-game winless streak, the longest losing drought since 2007.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, the Hawks returned home as they were defeated by SUNY Oneonta in a final score of 3-1. The Red Dragons opened the scoring in the first minute on a goal scored by third-year midfielder Greg Silvestro. In the 12th minute, the Red Dragons increased the lead to 2-0 with a goal scored by third-year midfielder Dylan Williams.
The Hawks got on the board in the 68th minute when fourth-year defender Michael Levko found the back of the net on a header directly off of a corner kick. Levko had entered the game in the 61st minute. Fourth-year Co-captain Alec Johnson tallied the assist on the goal.
Red Dragons third-year midfielder Colin Volpe increased the lead to 3-1 in the 71st minute and the score stood for the final minutes of the game.
The Hawks have an overall record of 4-11-1 and 0-6-1 record in SUNYAC conference play. As a result of the Hawk’s current standing in the SUNYAC conference, playoffs are out of the picture for their 2014 season.
Head Coach Gene Ventriglia said despite this season’s poor record, he is always looking at the positives such as player development. He said the final two games of the season are matters of pride.
“All the accolades are gone,” he said. “No matter what happens, we can’t go anywhere. It’s a question of going out there and winning the last two games. It will do a lot for our program in terms of state of mind.”
This offseason, Ventriglia said his goal in recruiting is to change his focus. He said the team needs some “seasoned guys that have experience and a level of physicality,” which the Hawks do not currently possess.
“We’re not going to do well unless you bring in three or four guys who are big, strong, enforcer-type players,” he said. “I’m not suggesting that we should play dirty ever. We need to play hard. We don’t have that.”
With both fourth-year goaltenders Steven Domino and Andres Montoya graduating, Ventriglia said he is looking for new faces for next season.
“A good goalkeeper that comes in will have the opportunity to start, which is appealing to most kids,” he said.
The Hawks close out their regular season schedule with home matchups against Buffalo State on Friday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. and SUNY Fredonia on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m.
