The women’s Lacrosse team has started State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play with a bang, winning both games against SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State this week, 12-9 and 20-4, respectively.
“As a young team the more experience and confidence we start to form, the stronger we come together as a team,” said head coach Keith Detelj. “We look forward to continuing to showcase our talent and character with an open mind to get better.”
The scoring started early for both teams on Saturday, with a shot by Potsdam’s fourth-year midfielder Meaghan Paige just three minutes in to put New Paltz behind one. The Hawks followed suit a minute later, with a goal by fourth-year midfielder Rachael Purtell to tie up the score. From there the Hawks went on to score three consecutive goals in a span of ten minutes, putting them ahead 4-1.
Potsdam wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and a free position shot brought them up to three goals, only trailing by one. First-year attacker Katie Zito increased the Hawks goal count to five to end the half, with an assist by fourth-year Taylor Russell for the two-point lead before
The action picked up in the second half with a goal by second-year attacker Tara Bovich and two from second-year attacker Amy Hofer within a five-minute span. The Bears bounced back and hit six shots to the back of the net, but a last-minute push by the Hawks gave them an 11-9 advantage.
Third-year attacker Jennifer O’Leary made the final goal with three minutes to spare off an assist from Bovich, to end the game 12-9 against Potsdam.
“We did come out with a good win over Potsdam but we definitely could’ve put away more opportunities, including more shots not hitting the goalie and more draw controls,” said Bovich.
New Paltz dominated the field offensively, shooting 28 times on goal against Potsdam’s 17.
On Wednesday, the Hawks asserted their dominance once again, winning in a landslide 20-4 against Plattsburgh State on the New Paltz turf field.
New Paltz started the offense two minutes in, with a shot by Purtell hitting the back of the net. Bovich followed suit, with two goals to spark a 12-0 run for the Hawks, ending with only 15 minutes left in the half. The Cardinals came back with three goals at 15-3, but that completed their scoring for the period, giving the Hawks a 12-point lead to end the first half.
The second half started slowly, with a goal by first-year midfielder Maddy Carullo six minutes in assisted by Purtell. At 19 minutes, Plattsburgh scored their final goal of the night, and the Hawks pounded on three more goals to solidify the win. A final shot at the buzzer put New Paltz 16 goals ahead, winning the game 20-4.
“We’ve been working a lot on fundamentals, so seeing it all come together these last couple games has really paid off,” Russell said. “Having this undefeated start in the SUNYAC is huge for us, we’ve broken records already and we’re ready to break even more and make playoffs.”
This win puts the Hawks at 5-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play heading into the second week of the SUNYAC schedule. They are currently playing on a five-game win streak including non-conference play.
New Paltz hopes to continue their streak on Saturday, March 30 at noon, out on the North Turf Field.
