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CORTLAND, N.Y. – The second-seeded State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team (12-5-2, 6-2-1 SUNYAC) notched its first-ever win in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Soccer Championship Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, beating third-seeded SUNY Fredonia, 1-0, at Dietz Stadium in Kingston, N.Y., in the semifinal round. Now the Hawks are one win away from their first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Tournament, meeting up with top-seeded SUNY Cortland (12-4-2, 8-1-0 SUNYAC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Cortland, N.Y.

TICKET PRICING: Tickets for Saturday's final are $5 for adults and $2 for students with valid college identification.

STATISTICAL LEADERS: Junior forward Shelby Kondelka (Bloomingburg, N.Y./Pine Bush) leads the Hawks with eight goals scored. Kondelka is also tops on the team in assists with six and is trailed closely in both categories by junior midfielder Beth Bowling (Islip, N.Y./Islip). Bowling has offered six markers on the season, while also notching four assists. Junior forward Samantha Abravanel (Islip, N.Y./Islip) has also found net six times. Junior goalkeeper Stephanie Vega (Oceanside, N.Y./Baldwin Senior) came into the season with impressive numbers and minutes played. Those figures will be even more impressive once the book is shut on her junior season. In 18 games, Vega has recorded 10 shutouts, a new single-season program record. She has recorded 81 saves, while only allowing nine goals, giving Vega a 0.50 goals-against average that is ranked 25th in NCAA Division III play, while her save percentage of .900 ranks 17th.

RANKED 9TH IN EAST BY NSCAA: As of the Nov. 1 rankings, New Paltz moved back into the No. 9 spot in the NSCAA Women's East Regional Rankings, marking the second time this season that the Hawks have occupied that spot. The Hawks moved up in spite of being idle this past week. Cortland holds down the region's No. 3 ranking.

LAST TIME THEY MET: New Paltz prevailed, 2-0, over Cortland when the two teams met earlier this season on Sept. 23, dealing the Red Dragons their lone conference loss of the season. Junior midfielder Beth Bowling (Islip, N.Y./Islip) opened the scoring at 21:32 with a strike off a rebounded blocked shot from junior forward Shelby Kondelka (Bloomingburg, N.Y./Pine Bush) in the box. At 83:04, Kondelka took a pass across the box from senior midfielder Sherri Lajoie (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) and was able to beat the keeper to the left side of the goal, sealing the victory. During that contest, Cortland goalkeeper Pam Monnier set the program record for career saves.

SHUTOUT CENTRAL: New Paltz ranks 25th (tied with six other teams) in NCAA Division III in shutout percentage, with a .611 average per game. The Hawks, as a team, have recorded 12 total shutouts; 11 from Vega, and one credited to the team in an 8-0 victory over non-conference Maritime College on Sept. 3 in Michelle Vargas-Robin Memorial Tournament play at Alumni Field.

POSTSEASON HISTORY AT A GLANCE: The Hawks have qualified for three of the past four SUNYAC Championship Tournaments, achieving a 0-1-2 record. 2007 saw New Paltz tie SUNY Plattsburgh in first round action, 1-1, but the Hawks would advance no further after the Cardinals won, 4-3, on penalty kicks. New Paltz led Geneseo, 1-0, early in its 2008 quarterfinal game, but ultimately fell to the Blue Knights, 2-1. Penalty kicks were again an issue in 2010, as the Hawks tied Buffalo State, 1-1, but the Bengals were able to advance after winning the penalty-kick shootout, 3-2.

ABOUT HEAD COACH COLLEEN BRULEY: For the fourth time in her 15 years as New Paltz women's soccer head coach, Colleen Bruley will finish a season with a double-digit win total. The 2004 SUNYAC Coach of the Year came to New Paltz in 1997 with plenty of experience, both coaching and playing. Bruley played as a goalkeeper for two years at SUNY Plattsburgh, ranking among the all-time program leaders in career saves and save percentage. She started her intercollegiate coaching career with one year at Skidmore College, prior to becoming the head coach at the University at Albany for two years. Bruley has also both coached and played for the Millwall and Arsenal clubs in the top English Women's National Premiere League. She has also worked for the Coerver Coaching Association.

SCOUTING THE RED DRAGONS: Cortland's loss to New Paltz on Sept. 23 dropped the Red Dragons to 3-4-1 overall, which led many to believe that Cortland would be out of any sort of playoff contention. However, Cortland rose from the ashes, tearing through the remainder of its regular-season schedule and winning each of its final nine games before drawing, 0-0, with fourth-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the semifinals of the SUNYAC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament on Wednesday. The Red Dragons advanced, 3-2, on penalty kicks, and now face the team that last dealt them a setback. Cortland has won seven conference titles, with its last coming in 1991. The Red Dragons have won two national championships: one in 1980 with no NCAA divisional split and one in 1992 as an NCAA Division III program. Jackie DeLuise and Amanda Margolis are tied for the team lead in goals with eight, while Margolis' eight assists are tops in the conference. Margolis leads the Red Dragons in points with 24, which is the fourth-best total in the SUNYAC. Monnier, the team's netminder, ranks second in the conference in goals-against average (0.68) and third in save percentage (.833).