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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – So far this season, the State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team (14-4, 5-1 SUNYAC) has asserted itself as a potential challenger for the conference title. The top-seeded and host Hawks will have their chance to prove it this weekend from Nov. 2-3 (Friday-Saturday) at the Turf Field, as they entertain No. 4 SUNY Oneonta (12-6, 3-3 SUNYAC) at 11 a.m. in the semifinal round of the 2012 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Field Hockey Tournament on Friday.

TICKET PRICING: Tickets are $6 for adults. SUNY students with valid identification and children ages 12 and under are free of charge.

STATISTICAL LEADERS: Senior forward Morgan Lizotte (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South) has been the offense's sparkplug all season, bringing a team-high 10 goals into the SUNYAC Tournament. Lizotte's goal total is the fourth-best in the conference, while junior midfielder Lauren Link (Hauppauge, N.Y./Smithtown West) is tied for the eighth-highest goal total with seven. Junior midfielder/forward Danielle Conklin (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) has contributed nine assists so far this season, which ranks No. 1 on the team and No. 2 in the league. Junior forward Alicia Aragosa (Schenectady, N.Y./Niskayuna) has found the back of the cage when it matters most, as she boasts four game-winning scores. Junior goalkeeper Antonija Pjetri (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) has proven herself as one of the top netminders in the country in 2012, as she leads the nation in save percentage (.884) and ranks eighth nationally in goals-against average (0.84).

NCAA AUTOMATIC BID: 2012 marks the second year that the SUNYAC has an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament. The SUNYAC Tournament champion will earn the league's automatic-qualifying bid into the national tournament.

WE MEET AGAIN: New Paltz and Oneonta are meeting for the second time this season and face each other in the semifinal round of the SUNYAC Tournament for the second time in as many years. New Paltz won, 4-3, over the Red Dragons on Oct. 19, which helped the Hawks lock down the SUNYAC Tournament's No. 1 seed. It was also a high-scoring affair when the two squads met in last season's SUNYAC semifinal. New Paltz climbed out of a 2-0 hole, but Andrea Day's goal in the 52nd minute ultimately proved to be the different. Oneonta holds the all-time series lead at 2-13.

MAKE IT THREE: New Paltz has qualified for the SUNYAC Field Hockey Tournament for each of the three years of its existence. The Hawks earned the tournament's No. 3 seed in 2010 and 2011, and 2012 saw the Hawks earn their first-ever No. 1 seed and regular-season title.

WINS MILESTONE: With the program's winningest all-time coach at the helm—fourth-year head coach Shanna Vitale—New Paltz has enjoyed its best season yet in the program's history in 2012. Not only have the Hawks achieved more wins (14) than any other New Paltz field hockey team, but it is also the first Hawk field hockey squad to have a winning season.

ABOUT HEAD COACH SHANNA VITALE: Shanna Vitale is in her fourth season as head coach of New Paltz's field hockey team, and she is already the most successful coach in the program's history. In her first season, Vitale led the Hawks to an 8-11 overall record after inheriting a program that went just 3-13 the previous season. She followed that up by making the SUNYAC Tournament each of the next two seasons, and she now owns a lifetime record of 39-35.

SCOUTING THE RED DRAGONS: Oneonta received some help from The College at Brockport on the final day of SUNYAC play this season to gain entry into the tournament, as the Golden Eagles lost to SUNY Oswego to drop to 2-4 in league action. The Red Dragons made it to the SUNYAC championship game last season, and they are in search of their first conference title. Oneonta features a high-powered offense that is keyed by Ashley Morgan, Suzanne Wright and Ashley Johnson. Morgan leads the league in points with 33 (13-7), while Wright and Johnson rank second and third in the conference in the same statistical category with 32 (13-6) and 30 (9-12), respectively. Tess Tracy will start in goal for Oneonta, as she boasts a 1.97 goals-against average and a .727 save percentage. Kelly Kingsbury is in her fifth season as Oneonta's head coach.