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LYNCHBURG, Va. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team (13-5-3) saw its storybook season continue as it knocked off 11th-ranked Lynchburg (19-2-2) in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament on Saturday night in Lynchburg, Va. Both squads went into penalty kicks after playing to a 0-0 draw after 110 minutes, forcing a shootout that the Hawks won, 3-2. New Paltz will now face Rowan Sunday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. in the second round.  Rowan defeated Shenandoah, 1-0, in overtime.

Lynchburg pressured the Hawk defense early, as it drew two corner kicks in the first minute of play, but both times New Paltz was up to the test. Minutes later, the Hornets had a quality scoring opportunity when Brittany Klippstein sent a shot high just over the upper left corner. Another scoring chance came in the 25th minute when a shot by Jessica Mader careened off the crossbar past outstretched Hawk junior goalkeeper Stephanie Vega (Oceanside, N.Y./Baldwin Senior).

Lynchburg continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, as Klippenstein ripped a shot in the middle of the field that seemed intent on landing just under the crossbar in the 36th minute. However, Vega was up to the challenge as she got a piece of her right hand of the ball, sending it over the net for a Hornet corner kick. New Paltz went into halftime deadlocked with Lynchburg at 0-0 despite being outshot by a margin of 9-1.

The Hawks nearly broke the scoreless tie in the 65th minute when junior forward Samantha Abravanel (Islip, N.Y./Islip) pressured a Lynchburg defender as she was attempting to clear the ball. Abravanel got a piece of the clearing attempt and broke free toward Hornet keeper Jackie Bader. Abravanel ripped a high shot toward the net, but Bader narrowly got her hand on the shot to send it over the goal.

The Hornets turned up the intensity late in the second half when Klippenstein had a shot hit the crossbar, and Jenn Snyder forced Vega to make her third save of the game. Lynchburg continued to pressure, but was unable to come away with a goal, forcing the game into overtime.

The Hornets came out swarming in the extra frame with two shots on goal by Angela Bosco and additional shots on goal by Mader and Klippstein. However, Vega continued to be on top of her game by coming up with the stops to extend the game into a second overtime stanza.

Both squads had scoring chances in the next overtime frame, but neither squad was able to break the tie as the teams went into penalty kicks.

Lynchburg's Rachel Sadowski put away her attempt in the upper left corner as Vega guessed wrong, going the opposite direction. Freshman midfielder Rebecca Rothman (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) led off for New Paltz, but missed as her shot bounced off the crossbar. The Hornets took a 2-0 lead when Snyder's shot hit the left post, but bounced into the back of the net. Senior defender Shannon Cobb (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) put New Paltz on the board when her shot went into the right side of the goal as Audrey Moore, who Lynchburg brought in in goal for the penalty kicks, guessed wrong as well.

The score leveled at 2-2 following a Lynchburg attempt that hit the left post and a shot by junior forward Shelby Kondelka (Bloomingburg, N.Y./Pine Bush) that found the upper right corner of the goal. The fourth Hornet kick clanged off the upper left 90 of the goal, giving New Paltz the opportunity to take its first lead. Freshman midfielder Eleni Anselmi (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) kicked the ball into the right side of the net as Moore again guessed wrong, forcing Lynchburg to make its next shot to continue the game.  As she had the entire contest, Vega came up big when it mattered most, as she made a diving save to her right to stop the shot by Klippstein to clinch the victory.

New Paltz was outshot, 31-7, on the contest, and Lynchburg held a 10-3 edge in corner kicks. Vega made 11 stops in net for the Hawks, while her counterpart, Bader, made three saves.