Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team (5-4, 2-1 SUNYAC) set the tone early in Friday's State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) clash with Morrisville State College (4-6, 0-4 SUNYAC) on the Turf Field, as junior forward Maryana Organidis (Belford, N.J.) rattled the back of the cage just a minute and a half into the contest. The Hawks would score twice more before the final buzzer sounded, triumphing, 3-1, over the visiting Mustangs.

New Paltz struck at the 1:26 mark when senior forward Sarah Schloss (Brant Lake, N.Y.) darted down the middle of the field in transition and found the stick of Organidis. Organidis unloaded a shot that thumped the back of the cage, giving the Hawks the early advantage and significant momentum.

Senior midfielder Lauren Nicomini (Newton, N.J.) doubled the tally in the 18th minute, scoring in traffic right in front of the net. Both senior defender Alyssa Finck (Hudson, N.Y.) and junior midfielder Caitlin Ryder (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) set up Nicomini's scoring opportunity, and both were credited with an assist on the play.

In spite of holding a 2-0 halftime lead, the Hawks trailed in nearly every other offensive statistical category. The Mustangs had seven penalty corner chances in the first half compared to New Paltz's two, and Morrisville held a 9-5 edge in shots.

The blue and orange dominated the possession game for most of the second half, reinforcing its 2-0 score.

Morrisville, however, erased the shutout in the 57th minute when Jamie Anderson scored on a penalty stroke after Lauren Bordonaro was taken down by freshman goalkeeper Antonija Pjetri (Suffern, N.Y.) on a one-on-one opportunity in front of the cage.

Six minutes later, sophomore defender Kim Lepore (Standfordville, N.Y.) tallied her second goal of the season when she, too, converted on a penalty-stroke chance. New Paltz would ride that 3-1 lead throughout the rest of the contest, ensuring its move back above the .500 mark.

Pjetri turned aside five Mustang shots, a game-high, while Kelsey Pellegrino made three stops in between the posts for Morrisville. 

On the afternoon, Morrisville outshot New Paltz, 15-14, and held the upper hand in penalty corners, 8-7.

Schloss, who gained an assist on Organidis' goal, now sits one point shy of tying the program's all-time mark in the statistical category.

The Hawks look to extend their win streak tomorrow and further cement their spot in the top half of the league standings when they take on SUNY Oneonta at 1 p.m. in Oneonta, N.Y.