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FREDONIA, N.Y. – The defending State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champion State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team (12-5-1, 4-4-1 SUNYAC) returns to the SUNYAC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament for the third straight year. This year, the Hawks face more of an uphill battle, entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed. They are slated to take on No. 3 SUNY Fredonia on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m. in the tournament quarterfinals at University Stadium.
 
TICKET PRICING: Tickets for Wednesday's semifinal game are $6 for adults and $3 for students with valid college identification.
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Senior forward Samantha Abravanel (Islip, N.Y./Islip) leads the Hawks with 26 points on the season (nine goals, eight assists), which is a new program single-season record. Her eight assists are also a new program single-season record. She added her name to more record lists, breaking the career assists record with 14 over her four years, and the career points record with 62 in the blue and orange. Also breaking records this season was senior goalkeeper Stephanie Vega (Oceanside, N.Y./Baldwin Senior), who set and improved upon a new program career shutouts record, picking up eight thus far in the 2012 campaign. She finishes the regular season with 70 saves for a .814 save percentage, and a goals against average of 1.00.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP RUN: Coming in as the No. 2 seed in the 2011 SUNYAC Tournament , the Hawks won both of their tournament games against Fredonia and top-ranked SUNY Cortland to win their first-ever SUNYAC Championship and berth into the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. Both games finished with 1-0 scores in favor of New Paltz, with Abravanel and Kondelka providing the game winners. The back line played shutdown defense in both games, allowing no shots on goal to Fredonia, and just five out of 20 shots on net to Cortland.
 
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Last season, the Hawks made a run, not only through the SUNYAC Tournament, but deep into the NCAA Championship Tournament as well, upsetting Lynchburg College and Rowan University in the first and second rounds, respectively. 15 student-athletes on the women's soccer team returned from last year's squad, including eight starting seniors, giving this team a wealth of postseason experience. Both Abravanel and Vega were named to the 2011 Women's Soccer All-Tournament Team for their exceptional play in last year's SUNYAC Tournament.
 
ABOUT HEAD COACH COLLEEN BRULEY: New Paltz women's soccer head coach Colleen Bruley entered 2012 as the reigning SUNYAC Women's Soccer Coach of the Year after leading her team to the SUNYAC title and the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Bruley 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 BLUE DEVILS: SUNY Fredonia (12-3-2, 6-2-1 SUNYAC) defeated the Hawks in the final SUNYAC game of the season, 3-2, after scoring two second half goals. The Blue Devils rank lower in the SUNYAC than New Paltz in all offensive categories, leading the Hawks in only goals against average. Katie Kleine leads Fredonia with 23 points on the season. She is tied with Reilly Condidorio for the team lead with eight goals, but contributed a team-best seven assists. Meaghan Meszaros leads the Blue Devils with 77 saves, a save percentage of .837 and seven shutouts. Head coach Chris Case, a Fredonia graduate as well as 2003 and 2009 SUNYAC Coach of the Year, is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Blue Devils' women's soccer program.