Box Score

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team played with plenty of gusto in the first half against undefeated Montclair State University, but the host Red Hawks built an 11-8 lead at halftime and scored the first four goals of the second half en route to a 19-11 non-conference victory at Sprague Field on Tuesday night.
 
The Hawks, who scored five straight goals in a 10-minute span after falling behind 1-0 in the first half, went toe-to-toe for large stretches of the game against a Montclair State team just a few votes shy from being nationally ranked in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll. In a first half that saw New Paltz pass and shoot effectively, especially in its transition game, the Hawks had the game tied 8-8 until the 3:45 mark, when Montclair State's senior midfielder Kelly Schoneveld scored the final three goals of the half for an 11-8 lead. To start the second half, the Red Hawks controlled tempo, found openings in the New Paltz defense and scored the first four goals for a 15-8 lead.
 
With loss, New Paltz drops to 3-1. Montclair improves to 8-0. Both teams will return to action on Saturday, March 29 as New Paltz travels to Buffalo, N.Y. for its first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game against Buffalo State at 1 p.m. Montclair travels to Fairleigh Dickinson at Florham for an 11 a.m. game.
 
Undaunted by facing the 7-0 Red Hawks, New Paltz scored five straight goals, getting back-to-back tallies from junior attack Kelsey Healy (Central Islip, N.Y./Bay Shore) and extended its lead to 5-1 after junior midfielder Lianne Valdivia (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) swept past four defenders outside the crease and then used a nifty spin move to notch her goal. After the Red Hawks got within 5-4, Valdivia scored her second goal of the half on a similar goal, this one with a stutter-step move outside the crease to free herself, for a 6-4 lead. Montclair State scored four of the game's next five goals – three of which came from junior attack Tierney Conlon for an 8-7 lead. Conlon was an offensive juggernaut, scoring nine goals in the contest.
 
Hawk junior midfielder Carissa Citro (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) knotted the game at 8-8 with her own brand of athleticism, splitting through the crease and firing a shot into the right corner.
 
Montclair increased its lead to 12-8 just under three minutes into the second half and the Hawks didn't get on the board until Citro's goal at 14:38 made it 15-9. Healy followed with a tally two minutes later, but the Red Hawks' offense had come alive and was difficult to contain.
 
Citro and Healy each scored four goals for New Paltz. Citro had five ground balls. Junior goalie Jackie Ulanoff (Northport, NY/Northport) made 12 saves.
 
Beside Conlon's nine goals, Schoneveld had five. Sophomore goalie Alexandra Tepper made 10 saves.