Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team (2-0) dominated all phases of Saturday afternoon's non-conference game against Farmingdale State College (0-1), besting the visiting Rams by a count of 14-7 at the Turf Field in New Paltz's 2011 home opener.

This marks the Hawks' first-ever 2-0 start to a season in program history. It also is only the second time in the history of the program that New Paltz won consecutive games.

Senior midfielder Brittany Bennett (Smithtown, N.Y.) opened scoring 3:17 into the contest, while Carly Schneider found the back of the net for the Rams with 19:05 to go in the first half to knot the tally at 1-all. Sophomore midfielder Brittany Hunt (Saugerties, N.Y.) and junior attack player Samantha DelGaudio (Northport, N.Y.) scored back-to-back goals before Justine Rothar netted Farmingdale State's second marker of the game. Delgaudio and Hunt each scored to move the score to 5-2 in favor of the Hawks, but Emily Williams cut the lead to two at 5-3, as she scored unassisted. New Paltz ended the first stanza with two goals, as DelGaudio and junior midfielder Julia Donato (Fayetteville, N.Y.) made it 7-3 heading into the break.

It took just more than seven minutes of action in the second half for either team to add to their tally, but Hunt and Farmingdale State's Rothar scored goals 31 seconds apart to make the tally 8-4 in favor of New Paltz at 22:20 of the second half. The Hawks broke the game open by going on a four-goal tear over the course of 11 minutes, and senior midfielder Bridgitte Hooker's (Glen Falls, N.Y.) score off of a Bennett pass made the count 12-4. The Rams, however, netted two straight, as Schneider scored unassisted with 7:06 remaining in regulation, while Kim Rigney converted on a free-position attempt less than a minute later. DelGaudio extended the Hawk lead to seven 21 seconds later, but Schneider responded with 4:33 to play in the second half to cut the deficit to six. Hooker iced the game with a goal in the final two minutes, and the Hawks walked out as winners.

New Paltz won the battle off the draw with 13 draw controls to Farmingdale State's 10, and the Hawks outshot the Rams by a 34-31 margin. New Paltz was 13-for-22 on clear attempts, while Farmingdale State was 10-for-15. Neither team fared particularly well on free-position shots. The Rams were 1-for-7, while the Hawks were 1-for-3.

DelGaudio keyed the New Paltz offense with four goals and four assists, while Hunt and Hooker netted three markers each. Bennett provided a pair of scores, while sophomore attack player Juli Rehain (Suffern, N.Y.) and Donato boasted one goal each. Bennett contributed two assists as well, while Hooker dished out one helper. Sophomore midfielder Erin Tornatore (Glen Cove, N.Y.) held game-highs in draw controls (4) and caused turnovers (2) and also scooped up a team-high four ground balls. Junior goalkeeper Stefanie Mignone (Farmingville, N.Y.) once again had a solid outing between the pipes, turning aside 19 shots in the victory.

For Farmingdale State, Schneider led the team in scoring with three goals, while Rothar added two. Williams and Rigney also scored for the Rams. Jalicia Connell picked up a game-high five ground balls, while Williams fared well off the draw with three draw controls. Courtney Cook was saddled with the loss in net for the Rams, stopping 14 shots.

New Paltz returns to action on Tuesday, March 15, hosting Hudson Valley rival Mount Saint Mary College at 4 p.m.