Box Score New Paltz – Megan Tornatore's first start in net on the State University of New York's home turf came with heavy rain and against a tough Ramapo College team on Wednesday. But the freshman stayed composed for 90 minutes, dealt with the slick conditions and made clutch saves to help the Hawks (2-1) to their first shut out of the season following the 1-0 victory.

"The second win feels well-deserved," said Tornatore, who finished with four saves on the day. "We worked really hard for it. I'm really happy for our team."

SUNY New Paltz controlled the pace of play in the first half and saw its first goal just eight minutes into the match. Julia Friedman came up and put and solid shot on frame just inside the 18-yard box, but Roadrunners goalkeeper Elizabeth Harvell – who also had a solid day in net, finishing with seven saves in the contest – made the initial diving stop, but Nicole Shientul was there to clean up in front of net to give the Hawks the lead.

However, it was the only opportunity SUNY New Paltz capitalized on the rest of the way, despite tallying 15 shots and eight on frame, including nine corner kicks in the game.

"I think one of the things that we emphasize a lot was our composure in the final third, and to take advantage of opportunities that we get early in the game," said Hawks coach Mike Eckberg. "We certainly did well on the first goal, but there were a couple others that happened right away that we need to do a better job."

Midway through the first half Ramapo narrowly knotted up the score, as Amber Hermanns broke through SUNY New Paltz's back line for a breakaway, but Torantore came out and made the stop to preserve the shutout.

It was the only quality look the Hawks gave up in the first 45 minutes, as they held possession for most of the first half. But again, despite garnering good looks on frame, only came away with the one-goal advantage at the break.

"A team like Ramapo can come back and equalize, and they certainly had their opportunities," Eckberg said. "Our freshman goalkeeper Megan Tornatore did really well to deny them, but we got to do a better job of not making it as tight of a game as it needed to be."

The Roadrunners turned the momentum around in the second half, as they created more chances in the final third. Tornatore made another breakaway save on a shot by Jessica Raccioppi, getting two hands on the attempt and then grabbing the rebound.

"We had a lot of chances, but we need to be able to do that for 90 minutes," said Ramapo coach Abby Shiffler. "It's unfortunate. We hit the post a bunch of times and I think if we played as well as we did in the second half in the first half it would have been a little bit different result."

The Hawks defense played well, backing Tornatore the entire contest. Raven Blake and Gabriela Cabello each made goal line stops, with Blake tracking back and heading a ball out of harms way, and Cabello in perfect position on the far post following a set piece to clear the dangerous attempt.

Ultimately, SUNY New Paltz withstood the pressure and came away with its first shutout of the year.

"A lot of credit goes to our back line," Eckberg said. "To finish with a shutout, we are certainly proud of them. We just got to continue to get better on the attacking side."

"My defense is amazing." added Tornatore. "We've been working hard and we're really cohesive together. There is definitely stuff we need to work on, but we're really making progress and I am excited for the rest of the season."

The Hawks will look to add to their win total on the road Saturday, as they take on Western New England University at 1 p.m.