Box Score

EWING, N.J. – The State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team earned five penalty corners in an NCAA Division III Tournament second-round game against No. 9 Messiah College on Saturday afternoon at The College of New Jersey's Lions Stadium, but the Falcons ended up keeping the Hawks off the scoreboard and prevailed, 3-0.
 
New Paltz ends its season at 16-6 overall and made the NCAA Tournament second round for the third year in a row. The Hawks tied their single-season program record in wins (16) while winning their fourth straight State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title in 2015. Messiah rises to 16-5 overall and will square off with No. 2 TCNJ in the national quarterfinals tomorrow at 1 p.m.
 
The Hawks kept the Falcons off the board until the 29th minute, when junior midfielder Lindsay Bower collected a rebound off a saved shot and deposited the ball into the back of the cage. While New Paltz earned two penalty corners in the final three minutes of the first half, it was unable to net the equalizer, as Messiah entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.
 
Messiah earned three penalty corners in the second half, and it cashed in on its third and final of the period, as freshman forward Kezia Loht scored off a pass from sophomore forward Carissa Gehman in the 59th minute. While senior midfielder Dani Ackerman (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) forced the Falcons' goalkeeper into action in the 63rd minute and New Paltz earned back-to-back penalty corners shortly thereafter, the Hawks were unable to cut into the deficit. Gehman added an insurance score for Messiah in the 67th minute, as she scored off of a penalty stroke.
 
The Falcons finished with an 18-3 edge in shots and an 11-5 margin in penalty corners.
 
Junior forward Erin Landy (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central), senior back Jessica Caruana (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) and Ackerman each took a shot for the Hawks, while Gehman paced the Falcon attack with eight shots, four of which were on goal.
 
Senior goalkeeper Alayna Wageman (Getzville, N.Y./Williamsville North) made seven stops in the loss for New Paltz, while freshman goalkeeper Shelby Landes notched a one-save shutout for Messiah.