The women’s soccer team opened up SUNYAC conference play Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27 with two losses.
On Friday, Sept. 26, the Hawks recorded a 1-1 double-overtime draw with SUNY Cortland. Second-year forward Skye Kaler scored to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the 67th minute. She also led the team in total shots throughout the game with five. Fourth-year midfielder Sarah Painter tallied the assist on the goal. The Red Dragons tied the game at one after a goal in the 83rd minute by third-year Captain Rebecca Carucci.
After playing through twenty minutes of a scoreless overtime, the game went into a tie-breaking shootout. Cortland won 11-10. New Paltz outshot Cortland 26-24 throughout the game.
The Hawks continued SUNYAC play with a 2-0 shutout loss against SUNY Oswego on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Oswego scored goals in the 67th minute, on a converted penalty kick and in the 77th minute.
Head Coach Colleen Bruley said the team will move on from this weekend to prepare for their next games.
“During the Oswego game, I believe the team got a little cocky and felt they could just step on the field and we would win,” she said. “That was not the case and we did not ‘show up’ for that game. It was a very disappointing result. We move on from here and learn from it.”
Fourth-year defender Bryce Kristall says despite the tie and loss this weekend, the team is always focused on the next game because the next game is the most important one of the season.
“We prepare for SUNYAC play by taking it one game at a time and focusing on the team we are playing in that game,” she said.
Kristall says the team is looking forward to the upcoming four-game homestand and getting points on the board.
“Playing four straight games at home will benefit us because we will be able to have the support of our families and friends,” she said. “Home games always give us more motivation to play well and win. We have had some injured players and personal experiences that are driving us to play even harder this season.”
Bruley said the team needs to continue to work on specific mental aspects to prepare for upcoming matches.
“We need to continue to focus on working as a unit instead of individuals,” she said. “We also need to remember that everyone has a job out there and when one person fails to do their job it affects everyone. We know we have the talent – we now need to work to consistently play together. We know we can be successful – we just have to keep working hard and having fun.”
With an overall record of 6-4-1 and 0-1-1 record in SUNYAC play, the Hawks next begin a four-game homestand after closing out a five-game road trip. The Hawks have nothing but SUNYAC conference games the rest of the season. New Paltz next hosts SUNY Geneseo on Friday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m and The College At Brockport on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m at Alumni Field.
