Box Score

ONEONTA, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team (11-4, 4-1 SUNYAC), already in the midst of its best season in program history, added more accomplishments to its résumé on Friday afternoon in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action, topping SUNY Oneonta (9-6, 3-3 SUNYAC), 4-3, in an offensive showcase.

The victory was notable for two reasons: it gave the Hawks their second-ever win over Oneonta, and it locked up a spot in the 2012 SUNYAC Field Hockey Tournament. New Paltz's only other victory over Oneonta came on Sept. 18, 2001.

A SUNY Geneseo victory over SUNY Cortland tomorrow afternoon coupled with a New Paltz win over Morrisville State will give the Hawks the SUNYAC Tournament's No. 1 seed and the right to host the four-team tournament from Nov. 2-3. Should New Paltz win along with Cortland, or if it loses along with Cortland winning, the Hawks will own the No. 2 seed. New Paltz would drop to the No. 3 seed with a loss to Morrisville coupled with a Geneseo win.

Freshman forward Dani Ackerman (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) put the Hawks on the board early, as she scored in the eighth minute off passes from junior midfielder/forward Danielle Conklin (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) and freshman midfielder/defender Jessica Caruana (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East). Conklin inserted the ball off a penalty corner, Caruana stopped the ball at the top of the circle and Ackerman's stick found a Caruana pass before Ackerman rattled the back of the cage.

Oneonta leveled the tally before half, with Ashley Morgan feeding Suzanna Wright for her 11th goal of the season at 21:40. The Red Dragons then fashioned a 2-1 lead 5:36 into the second stanza, with Morgan scoring unassisted.

The Hawks responded with a three-goal outburst. Junior midfielder Lauren Link (Hauppauge, N.Y./Smithtown West) scored unassisted after the Oneonta goalkeeper contended with numerous shots in the 43rd minute, and Conklin scored an unassisted goal in the 48th minute, tucking a shot just inside the post after dribbling to the right. Link tacked on an insurance score in the 66th minute, redirecting a Conklin pass from the right flank.

Morgan made it a one-goal game at 68:03, scoring unassisted, and the Hawks were able to keep Oneonta from tying the score in the waning minutes of the contest.

Conklin enjoyed a standout performance with one goal and two assists, while Link scored twice for the Hawks. For Oneonta, Morgan netted two markers and had an assist.

Oneonta held a 23-17 edge in shots and a 11-4 cushion in penalty corners.

Junior goalkeeper Antonija Pjetri (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) picked up the win, making 11 stops, while her counterpart, Tess Tracy, turned aside six shots.

New Paltz closes out SUNYAC play tomorrow afternoon, hosting Morrisville State in its 2012 home regular-season finale at 1 p.m.