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SUNYAC Championship Quarterfinal Preview (courtesy of SUNYAC Office)

GENESEO, N.Y. – For the first time since 2004, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team has qualified for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament, earning the No. 6 seed after beating SUNY Fredonia and Buffalo State on the road last Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, Oct. 29, the Hawks will square off against third-seeded SUNY Geneseo at 1 p.m. at Caledonia-Mumford High School in Caledonia, N.Y.

TICKET PRICING: Tickets for Saturday's quarterfinal game are $5 for adults and $2 for students.

STATISTICAL LEADERS: Senior forward Jimmy Altadonna (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) and senior midfielder Michael Santalesa (New Hyde Park, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) each share the team lead in goals with four, and senior midfielder/forward Tommy Garafola (Richmond Hill, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) has collected a team-high seven assists. Garafola's assist total is tied for the second best in the league, and he leads the conference in shots with 61 (3.39 per game). Sophomore goalkeeper Conor Power (White Plains, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) ranks third in the league in goals-against average (1.05), and he has earned five shutouts on the year.

AGAINST THE BEST: The Hawks have topped two nationally-ranked teams this year, including the Stevens Institute of Technology, which is currently ranked at No. 12 in the D3soccer.com national poll. Stevens was ranked at No. 13 when the two teams met on Sept. 4, and SUNY Plattsburgh was ranked at No. 19 when New Paltz took on the Cardinals on Oct. 7.

FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME: New Paltz exorcized demons in a 1-0 win against Plattsburgh on Oct. 7 at Alumni Field. It marked the first time since 1988 that the Hawks had beaten the Cardinals, and it was the first time since 2004 that New Paltz had scored a goal against Plattsburgh.

SENIOR EXPERIENCE: New Paltz boasts a roster of 13 seniors, including two that have earned All-SUNYAC honors. Of its 11 starters, eight are seniors.

POSTSEASON HISTORY AT A GLANCE: This is the Hawks' fourth time qualifying for the SUNYAC Tournament in program history, and New Paltz boasts a 1-3-0 mark in SUNYAC Tournament play. New Paltz last made the tournament in 2004, where it topped Buffalo State, 1-0, in double overtime before succumbing to Geneseo, 1-0, in the semifinals. The program's most memorable postseason run, however, came in 1965, where the Hawks won the NCAA Atlantic Regional title, topping Worchester Tech, 3-2.

ABOUT HEAD COACH GENE VENTRIGLIA: Gene Ventriglia, a longtime veteran of soccer coaching and a charter member of the New Paltz Athletics Hall of Fame, is wrapping up his first year at the helm of the New Paltz men's soccer program. Prior to New Paltz, Ventriglia served as the head coach for Marlboro High School's boys' soccer team in 2010, but his most memorable post occurred as the bench boss at Army, where he served as the head women's soccer coach for 24 seasons. At West Point, Ventriglia was a six-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, and his teams achieved a record of 262-164-29 during his tenure. Before Army, he racked up a 233-33-15 record as a head coach of three different area high schools.

SCOUTING THE BLUE KNIGHTS: Since Geneseo beat New Paltz, 1-0, on Sept. 30, the Blue Knights have struggled, going 2-4-2. Geneseo's star forward, Ian Mort, has not started a game since Oct. 8, but he did make an appearance on Tuesday, Oct. 25, in a 2-2 tie against St. John Fisher College. Mort leads the team in goals (9), assists (6) and points (24) and ranks among the top five in the SUNYAC in all three statistical categories. As a team, the Blue Knights rank third in the league in goals per game (1.82), fourth in the league in assists per game (1.29) and fourth in the league in goals-against average (1.13). Head coach Dominic Oliveri, a 2001 graduate of Geneseo, is finishing up his first season as the steward of the Blue Knight men's soccer program after longtime head coach Mike Mooney was promoted to the title of director of intercollegiate athletics and recreation.


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