The Lady Hawks had quite a weekend, with back to back games. They played against SUNY Oswego on Friday, Oct. 22., and SUNY Cortland on Oct. 23.
On the South Turf, the Hawks faced SUNY Oswego this past Friday. The match began slow, with no goals scored until minute 54 when first-year forward Rachel Eisert scored, which made the Hawks more confident in the match.
Eisert carried this game, being responsible for both goals the Hawks scored. This match was a tough one, and her stamina helped towards claiming victory.
At minute 71, SUNY Oswego scored a goal to even the score. The Hawks did not want to lose. This game was the second to last of their regular season, and each player wanted to make the most of their time spent out on the field. Winning could give them home field advantage in the SUNYACs.
They kept their heads up high and put their game faces on. With a penalty kick in overtime, Eisert scored the winning goal at minute 95, making the final score of the game 2-1.
The Lady Hawks felt great after this win and went into their next game with confidence.
At 1 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 23, the team again took to the South Turf field but this time against SUNY Cortland. It was a green-out mental health game where players made signs and wore green.
This was the last game of the Lady Hawks’ regular season, and a win for the last game would be fitting. The Hawks played their best and faced off against Cortland.
Not long into the game, at minute 12, SUNY Cortland scored a goal, making the score 0-1. The Hawks knew if they wanted to win they would have to start playing their absolute best. At minute 38, the Hawks scored, evening the score to 1-1. Third-year defender Katie Buquicchio scored with an assist from first-year midfielder Emma Voege. Buquicchio went on to win SUNYAC Defensive Player of the week for her performance in this past weekend’s matchups.
The game was looking difficult for the Lady Hawks, and they had to keep pushing. The Hawks scored again at minute 58. The goal was again scored by Buquicchio who was assisted by Voege. The score was 2-1 in New Paltz’s favor until minute 70, when SUNY Cortland scored, sending the game into double overtime. In the end, neither team could secure the win, making the final score of the game a tie at 2-2.
These were the final two games in the Hawks’ regular season, and they had a great season this semester. They have won the majority of their games and are still training and creating new tactics for next time. The team, ranked No. 4 in the SUNYAC, will face off against No. 5 Fredonia on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. for a spot in the SUNYAC semi-finals. The winner of that match will take on No. 1 Geneseo at Geneseo on Nov. 3.
