The New Paltz women’s lacrosse team had their first win of the season, and it was a big one.
On Monday, April 5 the ladies in blue and orange traveled to Potsdam for a conference matchup. Within 30 seconds of the match, the Hawks scored.
Fourth-year attacker Amy Hofer made it happen after winning the draw control. Quickly after Hofer, first-year midfielder Kaitlyn Shaw got a goal of her own, assisted by third-year attacker Katie Zito. This is the second game in a row where Shaw proved to be a strong force early on.
“It’s amazing being able to play in conference games as a freshman,” Shaw said. “I am very grateful that I have been given the chance to prove myself in the games and play alongside such an amazing team.”
The Hawks scored three more times without any interruption from Potsdam. Three different Lady Hawks contributed to the scoring spree: fourth-year attacker Tara Bovich, second-year midfielder Cam Ryder and second-year midfielder Shannon Brosnan.
After that, Potsdam called for a time out. This led to them winning the draw control and tacking on a goal. Second-year attacker Hannah Stevenson ended the shutout for the Bears. Was this the start of a more competitive match?
It wasn’t. New Paltz continued to insert their dominance both offensively and defensively and Stevenson’s goal would be the only score Potsdam earned in the first half.
Third-year attacker Maddy Carullo scored next, assisted by the other Maddie on the team, second-year midfielder Maddie Gillis. Carullo scored another goal, this time unassisted, after Hofer won the draw.
A yellow card on Potsdam allowed Hofer to tack on another goal on a free position shot.
With just under fifteen minutes in the first half, how much more damage would the Hawks install?
New Paltz was on fire and many players went on to have a multi scoring game. Ryder got her second goal of the game, assisted by Bovich, bringing the score to 9-1, New Paltz. Following that, Gillis, Shaw and Bovich all scored again.
At 5:43 and 4:13 two new faces scored, both assisted by Bovich: third-year attacker Viviana Scotti and second-year midfielder Keydy Espinoza.
The first-half was nearly up but the Hawks were not done. Brosnan got her second goal of the game with exactly two minutes left. Her goal gave New Paltz a 14 score lead going into the last half.
Shaw started the second half strong by winning the first draw. With just less than thirty seconds into the half, the ball made its way to Carullo, who directed it to the back of the net. The Lady Hawks won the draw control yet again, and this time Bovich made it happen. For the third time in just a few minutes, New Paltz won the draw and Shaw got her third goal of the game.
Shaw said she was happy with her performance and contributions to the team.
“I was very excited to see that all the time and work we put into training during the fall and spring be implemented in the game,” she said. “I think we have very strong connections on the field that allowed us to be successful in the game.”
Maybe some frustration on Potsdam’s end led to New Paltz earning their second free position shot of the game, again by Hofer.
New Paltz scored four more uninterrupted goals in a row bringing the game to 23-1. With a little over 12 minutes left in the game, Potsdam would need a miracle (or two) to remain a contender in the game.
The Bears managed to score twice, but clearly that wouldn’t be enough. After one more New Paltz free position shot, the final score of the game was 25-3.
How will New Paltz fare in the rematch? Time will tell on Thursday, April 8 at 4 p.m., when Potsdam travels to New Paltz territory for the next matchup.
“We are going into the rematch against Potsdam with the same winning mindset we had on Monday,” Shaw said. “We want to build off the work we did when we played them and continue to improve our offensive and defensive plays for the rest of the season.”
