The New Paltz Field Hockey team has done it again. On Friday, Oct. 15, they traveled to Morrisville State and competed in a matchup that brought them their best win of the season.
Less than three minutes into the game, second-year forward Hannah Ackerman shot her seventh goal of the season, assisted by third-year back Julia Cummings. A few minutes later, the dynamic duo did it again to give the Hawks an early 2-0 lead. Little did they know that those goals were just the beginning.
In period two, Ackerman came back this time scoring an unassisted goal. The game was going so much in New Paltz’s favor that no Morrisville athlete even got the opportunity to score. This was in stark contrast to the Hawks who attempted to score one after the other, even if they sometimes were blocked by the Morrisville goalie Morgan Dueber.
At 36:51, in period three, second-year forward Morgan Woolley scored her eleventh goal of the season, but then some new faces got to score as well: first-year forward Amanda Quennville (assisted by first-year midfielder Emily Brown) and fourth-year back Jess Ascencao (assisted by third-year midfielder Jamie Wagner). Going into period four, the Hawks were up 6-0.
Despite the comfortable lead, the Hawks were not done scoring. Wagner came back for more and scored a goal assisted by third-year midfielder Alexa Wentz, and then Wentz herself got a goal assisted by first-year midfielder Emily McGovern.
“It was definitely very exciting to score, as it was my first ever collegiate goal,” Wentz said. “Emily McGovern and Emily Brown also tabbed their first assists of the season in the last half, so there were a lot of firsts during the game which is pretty awesome. The whole 60 minute game was hard fought with a lot of great passing combinations and it really showed consistent scoring each quarter.”
Some fouls were exchanged between both teams during that last period, especially on New Paltz’s part, but the 8-0 shutout certainly makes up for it.
“We always make it a point to build off of what we’ve accomplished or failed to accomplish in every match, both individually and team-wide,” Wentz said. “So while we had a good game overall, this isn’t the time for us to let up. We’ve got some really good competition coming up and we need to capitalize on every adjustment. That being said, I am super proud of the growth New Paltz Field Hockey has made thus far.”
The field hockey season is wrapping up soon. New Paltz has three more matchups — all at home — before the long awaited SUNYAC tournament. Can New Paltz finish strong? We will see starting Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. when the Geneseo Knights take to the North Turf Field.
“I think I speak for the whole team when I say we are super excited to be approaching SUNYACs. Everyday is about improving and moving forward. We have all worked very hard this season and have focused on the basics of playing smart hockey, so everyday is about coming to practice with the mindset of further preparing ourselves and doing what we know best,” Wentz said.
