Box Score Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – In its first game in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play this year, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team (4-4, 0-1 SUNYAC) fell to SUNY Fredonia (7-2, 1-0 SUNYAC) by a 21-12 margin at the Turf Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks matched the Blue Devils shot-for-shot in the first half and even held two leads in the late minutes of the first stanza, but could not keep pace with Fredonia's overwhelming attack in the second period.

Freshman midfielder Carissa Citro (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) led the New Paltz attack with four goals while also collecting a team-high seven ground balls. Citro added four draw controls and two caused turnovers to her overall line. Senior attack player Samantha DelGaudio (Northport, N.Y./Northport) matched Citro's four-point effort with one of her own, courtesy of her one goal and three assists on the afternoon. Junior attack player Erin Tornatore (Glen Cove, N.Y./North Shore) won a game-high eight draw controls en route to the Hawks outdrawing the Blue Devils (19-16), while junior defender Regina Bates (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) was the source of three of New Paltz's eight caused turnovers.

Fredonia's Amy Simon earned 10 points on the afternoon for the Blue Devils by scoring nine goals and dishing out one assist. Katie Kleine registered seven points in her three-goal, four-assist performance for Fredonia while also causing a game-high five turnovers. Morgan McNamara and Shelby Depew each netted three markers, with all three of Depew's scores coming on free position attempts.

The Blue Devils opened play with two goals in the first three minutes of action, before New Paltz returned serve with two goals of its own by Citro and Tornatore—each of which were assisted by DelGaudio—tying the game at 2-all with 23:36 remaining in the first period. Simon would net her second goal of the afternoon soon after, but Tornatore matched her at the 18:37 mark to keep the game tied, now at 3-all. Simon scored two more Blue Devil goals in rapid succession, yet New Paltz again answered right back with goals by freshman midfielder Lianne Valdivia (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) and Citro to keep pace with Fredonia.

Depew's first free-position shot for the Blue Devils gave them a 6-5 lead at the 11:39 mark in the first half. New Paltz claimed its first lead of the game against its SUNYAC opponent after an unassisted Citro marker and a strike from freshman midfielder Julia Johnson (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) aided by sophomore attack player Talia Tesler (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) gave the Hawks a 7-6 edge with 8:32 remaining in the period. Depew's second free-position goal knotted the game with 4:43 left in the first, but junior attack player Juli Rehain (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) countered just a minute later to stake the Hawks to a 8-7 lead. However, Simon immediately evened the score after the ensuing draw, sending both teams to halftime tied at 8-all.

The Hawks struggled to get out of the box in the second half, allowing five straight Blue Knight goals before Citro could score off a Johnson pass with 20:30 remaining in regulation. Faced with a 13-9 deficit, the New Paltz defense was pressured and could not come up with stops, allowing an 8-0 Fredonia run that stretched for more than 10 minutes. Goals in the last 10 minutes by DelGaudio, Valdivia and senior midfielder Julia Donato (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) brought the final score to a 21-12 ending.

Senior goalkeeper Stefanie Mignone (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East) was charged with the loss after minding the net for nearly 47 minutes, amassing four saves. She was relieved by freshman Jackie Ulanoff (Northport, N.Y./Northport), who saved one shot in 13:03 between the pipes. Fredonia's Casey Chiesa earned her seventh victory of the year, stopping nine Hawk shots in a full 60 minutes of play.

Despite outshooting the Blue Devils by a 19-17 margin in the first half, the Hawks finished the game with 27 shots compared to Fredonia's 31. New Paltz did win the ground ball battle, 21-20, as well as winning the aforementioned draw control battle. Fredonia was successful in 11 of its 14 clear attempts, while New Paltz cleared 10-of-13 chances.

The Hawks next see action on Wednesday, April 4, when they travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to take on cross-river rival Vassar College in non-conference action at 6 p.m.