Box Score

ONEONTA, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team fought off a late-game charge by host Hartwick College, holding onto the ball for the final 2:19 of the contest, to secure an impressive, come-from-behind 14-13 victory on Saturday afternoon in non-conference play at Wright Stadium.
 
The Hawks trailed at halftime 8-6, but back-to-back goals from junior midfielder Lianne Valdivia (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston), at the 23:19 and 20:53 marks of the second half pushed New Paltz into an 11-10 lead that held firm, even though Hartwick got within one goal on two occasions. New Paltz played a near flawless second half, due in large part to just four turnovers and a perfect 10-for-10 in clears.
 
With the victory, New Paltz improves to 2-0, while Hartwick drops to 3-3. The Hawks next travel to Kean University for a 4 p.m. game on Wednesday, March 19. Hartwick next hosts Cazenovia College on March 19 at 4 p.m.
 
Valdivia, who earned her 100th career point in the game, scored the eventual game winner, her fourth of the contest – and second half – with 11:21 to play. Although Hartwick rallied to get within 14-13 on goals by freshman attack Lauren Rosenberg at 10:21 and junior midfielder Lisa Littleton with 3:23 to play, the New Paltz defense clamped down and the team's execution stymied any further Hartwick momentum.
 
"We had to find our legs after the first half and figure out a way to take over the game," said head coach Liz Student. "In the final few minutes of the game, our ball possession and defense were terrific and we made plays when we needed them the most."
 
The second half was tied three times; the last at 10-10 after the high-scoring tandem of Valdivia and senior attack Talia Tesler (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) notched goals to knot the game with 23:19 to play. New Paltz, which scored six of the first eight second-half goals, then went on a 4-1 scoring run, highlighted by two Valdivia goals and one each by junior midfielder Carissa Citro (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) and junior defender Fatima Ismail (Red Hook, N.Y./Red Hook) to surge ahead 14-11. The game's back-breaker was back-to-back goals (13 and 14) by Valdivia and Ismail that came 36 seconds apart.
 
"Coming out of halftime, the team knew we'd have to work for the win, nothing was being handed to us," said Student. "Talia kept our offense flowing in the first half and Lianne came alive in the second half. Her early goals got the team excited and pumped up. When she scores, opponents pay a lot of attention to her and it opens up opportunities for other players to shine."
 
New Paltz held a 17-12 first-half advantage in shots, but committed 11 first-half turnovers, which were reduced to just four in the second half. It enabled the first half to feature three ties, although Hartwick pulled ahead 7-4 on a goal by senior midfielder Ali Sisco with 3:06 to play. A Tesler goal drew New Paltz within 7-6 with 23 seconds until intermission, but Hartwick got a goal in the closing seconds by sophomore midfielder Kia Ference for an 8-6 lead. 
 
Valdivia led New Paltz with four goals and an assist. Tesler and Citro each had three goals and Ismail added a pair. Citro had five ground balls and Valdivia earned four. In goal, junior Jackie Ulanoff (Northport, N.Y./Northport) made five saves, some of which "were spectacular" according to Student, against 18 shots on goal.
 
Cisco led Hartwick with four goals, followed by Littlejohn with three. Junior goalie Steph Luce made 14 saves against a New Paltz team that had 36 shots, 28 that were on net.