Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – After trailing 7-1 with in the early goings of the first half, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team (5-3) scored six unanswered goals to crawl back into the game, but the early hole proved to be the difference in the end, as Vassar College (4-4) topped the Hawks by a 12-11 final at the Turf Field on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action.

With a slight drizzle and chilly temperatures, New Paltz appeared out of it early, as Vassar's Sarah Warner scored five goals in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Five different Hawks, however, accounted for the team's six goals during the team's comeback bid, and junior attack player Samantha DelGaudio's (Northport, N.Y.) marker with 10:48 to go in the first half made the score 7-all. The Brewers put two more goals on the board before the half ended, taking a 9-7 lead into the intermission.

Senior midfielder Brittany Bennett (Smithtown, N.Y.) and DelGaudio each buried scores to open the second stanza, but Moe Byrne and Morgan Namian each found the back of the net in the 20th minute to push the lead back to 11-9 in favor of the visitors. Freshman midfielder Talia Tesler (Rochester, N.Y.) made it a one-goal game with 18:01 left on the clock in the second frame, and the Hawks were deliberately careful on possessions throughout the remainder of the period, which yielded just two goals in the final 18 minutes of play.

Byrne scored with 9:54 to go in regulation, and sophomore attack player Juli Rehain (Suffern, N.Y.) breathed life back into the Hawks' cause with an unassisted goal with 1:15 remaining, drawing New Paltz within one. The clock stopped with 1.5 seconds left due to a Vassar foul inside the 8-meter arc, and Rehain had a chance to send the game into overtime with a free-position shot. Rehain's shot went wide left of the goal, and time expired, giving the Brewers the victory.

Vassar outshot New Paltz, 27-24, and also controlled 13 draws to the Hawks' 12. The Brewers took care of the ball on transition, going 16-of-18 on clear attempts, while the Hawks went 10-of-20. Vassar was 2-of-8 on free-position shots, while New Paltz was 3-for-4.

Rehain and DelGaudio led the Hawks with three goals each, while Bennett scored twice. Junior midfielder Julia Donato (Fayetteville, N.Y.), Tesler and sophomore midfielder Brittany Hunt (Saugerties, N.Y.) rounded out New Paltz's scorers. Rehain finished the day with two assists, while Bennett and DelGaudio each boasted one. Sophomore midfielder Erin Tornatore (Glen Cove, N.Y.) had a solid defensive game with five ground balls and four caused turnovers, while senior midfielder Bridgitte Hooker (Glens Falls, N.Y.), Bennett and DelGaudio corralled three draw controls apiece. Junior goalkeeper Stefanie Mignone (Farmingville, N.Y.) was tagged with the loss, making nine stops and allowing 12 goals in a full 60 minutes of action.

For Vassar, Warner buried a game-high six goals, while Byrne contributed three. Namian, Maura McCarthy and Michela Garrison also scored for the Brewers, while Morgan and Warner provided the lone assists for Vassar. Phoebe Tzannes tied Tornatore for the game-high in ground balls with five, while Allie Morgan and Emily Kloppenburg each boasted four draw controls. Nicole Engelhardt got the win in between the pipes for the Brewers, turning aside six shots.

New Paltz returns to action on Saturday, April 9, taking on The College at Brockport at 1 p.m. at the Turf Field.