The Women’s Soccer team won a pair of games last weekend as they defeated both Brooklyn College and Rutgers-Newark to win the Scarlet Raider Soccer Classic in Newark, New Jersey.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, the Hawks shutout Brooklyn College in a final score of 1-0. Second-year defender Sloane Lipshie scored the lone goal and ultimately the game-winner for New Paltz in the 69th minute. Fourth-year Captain Eleni Anselmi tallied the assist on Lipshie’s goal. First-year goalkeeper Katelyn Cordero played the full 90 minutes. New Paltz outshot Brooklyn College 22-4 throughout the contest.
The following day, the Hawks defeated Rutgers-Newark in a final score of 2-1. Second-year midfielder Skye Kaler netted New Paltz’s first goal of the game in the 43rd minute to take a 1-0 lead. Kaite Mulry netted a goal of her own in the 77th minute to increase the lead to 2-0. First-year forward Julia Friedman assisted on Mulry’s goal. Rutgers-Newark third-year midfielder Sara Corson would tally a goal, assisted by her sister, first-year defender Emily Corson, in the 82nd minute to bring them within one goal of a tie. Despite shots overall being tied at 12 apiece, New Paltz took the victory, winning the title for the first time since 2011.
Head Coach Colleen Bruley said the 2-1 win over Rutgers-Newark taught the team how to keep momentum.
“To come out with that win was great, because we learned how to really hold a lead under pressure and that was the first time we really had to do that,” she said.
Bruley said the competition at the Scarlet Raider Classic was not similar to the competition the team will see in SUNYAC play, but it was still good.
“We were able to come out with wins there,” Bruley said. “We’re learning how to win so that’s what’s important.”
The Hawks returned home on Tuesday, Sept. 9 as they shutout Purchase College 7-0 on Alumni Field.
Friedman, third-year forward Chelsea Weir, second-year midfielder Hannah Moran, Anselmi and third-year midfielder Kristina Gandolfo each scored a goal for New Paltz. Mulry tallied two goals in the win to improve the Hawks’ record to 5-0.
Bruley said the team needed a win with a large goal-margin to get the team used to scoring.
“The idea was to play them and just get used to scoring goals,” she said. “That’s what we needed to do. We needed to get more comfortable in front of the goal. It was nice to be able to score. We scored some good goals, too. It was definitely good for our confidence in front of the goal.”
Anselmi said it feels great to be undefeated thus far due to the team’s performance last year.
“Winning these past games has made the team morale very high which is exactly what we needed before heading into conference play,” she said.
The undefeated Hawks next take on Bard College Friday, Sept. 12 at home on the New Turf Field at 4 p.m. Then they take to the road for a five-game road trip which will conclude with the first SUNYAC games of the season against SUNY Cortland and SUNY Oswego.
“We are working hard at practice and taking advantage of our practice time to work on things we didn’t do well this past weekend,” Anselmi said. “But more importantly, we are focusing on one game at a time, taking things day by day.”
