NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – In the final contest of the third annual Michelle Vargas-Robin Memorial Tournament, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team (0-1-1) played to a 1-1 tie with New York University (NYU) (1-0-1). After defeating Salve Regina University (0-2-0), 4-1, Sunday morning to complete a 2-0 weekend, Westfield State University (2-0-0) goes home with the tournament title.

Michelle Vargas-Robin was a women's soccer and softball student-athlete at New Paltz from 1991-93, who, at the young age of 36, lost a hard-fought battle with cancer. This tournament, which is in its third year, is named after her to celebrate her life and commitment to embodying all of the qualities that we all hope to attain as human beings.

Due to a 90-minute weather delay in Sunday's morning contest, the afternoon matchup between the Hawks and the Violets was pushed back to a 3 p.m. start.

After being shut out Saturday morning by Westfield State, the Hawks came out flying in their second tournament game. After a flurry of takeaways by each team near the NYU goal box in the third minute, junior midfielder Eleni Anselmi (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) blasted a shot from just outside the box, beating the keeper to the left corner of the net to give the Hawks an early 1-0 lead and their first goal of the season.

After the Hawk goal, very few shots were put on goal for the majority of the game, as each team's defense tightened up and kept the ball away from its respective keeper. However, the scoring drought came to an end in the 81st minute when NYU's Amelia Hammerl chipped one over sophomore goalkeeper Krysten Kane (Macedon, N.Y./Wayne Central) to knot things up at one, eventually forcing overtime.

NYU was on the aggressive in the first overtime period, firing off eight shots without allowing the Hawks to take a single one. Kane saved the only shot put on net to help New Paltz get to the second extra period. NYU came out firing again, taking three more shots before the Hawks could finally get one off. Junior defender Bryce Kristall (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills West) fired from the top of the box toward the open right side of the net, but NYU goalie Cassie Steinberg managed to get a hand on it and deflect it away from the goal. In the final seconds, junior forward Sarah Painter (Blue Point, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) headed the ball to try for the last-second win, but the ball rolled wide to the left and time expired.

Kane and Steinberg each add a tie to their records after Sunday's game. Kane stopped six shots, while Steinberg and starter Arianna Strome stopped one apiece.

NYU managed to put seven shots on goal in Sunday's draw, while New Paltz put just three on frame. The Violets took a total of 24 shots to just seven for the Hawks. Corner kicks were scarce in the 110-minute contest, as the Violets had three and the Hawks just two.

The Hawks return to action on Saturday, Sept. 7, when they participate in the Meredith Classic in Raleigh, N.C. New Paltz faces off with host Meredith College on Saturday at 12 p.m., and then takes on Guilford College on Sunday at noon to close out the tournament.