Box Score Box Score

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Following a goal by sophomore attack player Talia Tesler (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) with 1:25 to go in regulation, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team (2-2) knotted the score at 11-all against Farmingdale State College (4-0). The Rams, however, scored two goals in the final 30 seconds to claim a 13-11 non-conference victory on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams traded blows the entire game, but the Hawks never led. New Paltz did, however, tie the score on three occasions, but Farmingdale State was able to break the stalemate each time.

The Rams opened scoring 4:46 into the game, as Nicole Marzocca scored on a free-position shot. Freshman midfielder Lianne Valdivia (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) answered a minute later off a feed from senior attack player Samantha DelGaudio (Northport, N.Y./Northport), but Jordyn Hasemann and Carly Schneider each scored for Farmingdale State to give the home team a 3-1 advantage. Junior attack player Brianna Horn (Wantagh, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) made it a one-goal game with 17:21 left in the first half, but Farmingdale State rattled off two unanswered goals—which came from Paige Paternostro and Schneider—to enter the break with a 5-2 cushion.

Freshman midfielder Carissa Citro (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) found the back of the net off a pass from Tesler in the first minute of the second stanza, and Valdivia added a marker to cut the deficit to 5-4. Hasemann pushed the Ram advantage back out to two, but the Hawks tied the tally at 6-all with back-to-back goals by junior attack player Erin Tornatore (Glen Cove, N.Y./North Shore) and senior midfielder Julia Donato (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius). Farmingdale State scored the next two courtesy of Schneider and Hasemann, but Valdivia buried an unassisted marker to draw New Paltz within one with 16:46 to go in the second half.

Schneider and Valdivia traded goals, with Schneider scoring twice and Valdivia scoring once, and a Marzocca marker gave the Rams their largest lead of the game (11-8) with 4:53 to play. New Paltz would rally, as Citro sparked the comeback with a free-position goal with 3:25 left on the clock. Tesler scored with 2:51 remaining and again with 1:25 to go, and her second goal tied the score. Farmingdale State would win the draw after Tesler's second marker, and the Rams bled a minute off the clock before Christy Thoden converted on a free-position shot to put the home team back up by one. Thoden won the ensuing draw, and Hasemann tacked on the insurance score with one second left to keep Farmingdale State's perfect record intact.

The shot margin ended up even at 29 apiece, but Farmingdale State was superior off the draw, edging New Paltz, 16-8, in draw controls. The Hawks scooped up 23 ground balls to the Rams' 17, but New Paltz struggled to bring the ball up the field, going 13-for-23 on clear attempts. Conversely, Farmingdale State went 10-for-11 on clear attempts. Within the 8-meter arc, the Hawks converted on 3-of-5 free-position shots, while the Rams converted 2-of-6.

Valdivia led New Paltz's attack with four goals, while Citro and Tesler had two each. Tornatore, Horn and Donato also scored for New Paltz. While she was held scoreless, DelGaudio keyed the Hawk offense with three assists. In addition, Citro, Tesler and Tornatore chipped in with one assist each. Citro came up with a team-high four draw controls, while Valdivia, Tornatore and freshman midfielder Julia Johnson (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) each caused two turnovers.

For Farmingdale State, Schneider posted a game-high five goals, which she achieved on seven shots. Hasemann added four markers, while Marzocca (2), Paternostro (1) and Thoden (1) rounded out the Rams' scorers. Krystin Shand played a significant role in the offense, as she doled out a game-high five assists. Thoden caused problems for the Hawks with her ability to gain possession of the ball, as she registered game-high totals in ground balls (10), draw controls (10) and caused turnovers (5).

In goal, senior goalkeeper Stefanie Mignone (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East) shouldered the loss, turning aside 11 shots, while Courtney Cook made seven saves in the winning effort for Farmingdale State.

New Paltz returns to action on Wednesday, March 21, as it takes on the College of Mount Saint Vincent at 7 p.m. in Riverdale, N.Y.