Box Score

CLAREMONT, Calif. – Senior midfielder Lianne Valdivia (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) scored with 18 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team lost a 17-14 heartbreaker to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Sunday afternoon in the Hawks' season opener at Zinda Field.
 
In a game that was close throughout, New Paltz overcame an 8-6 halftime deficit by scoring five unanswered goals to start the second half to construct an 11-8 advantage. A four-goal scoring spree by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps set the stage for a wild finish, which saw the home team score twice in the final two minutes before Valdivia forced overtime off a free-position shot. The Athenas netted three markers in overtime to eke out the non-conference win.
 
New Paltz drops to 0-1 overall with the loss and visits Pomona-Pitzer Colleges next on Tuesday, March 17, for an 11 a.m. (PDT) game. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps stays unbeaten at 6-0 with the win and continues its five-game home stand tomorrow against Kean University at 7 p.m. (PDT).
 
The two teams were evenly-matched from the get-go, with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' freshman midfielder Katie Hill and sophomore midfielder Cara Cancelmo each scoring in the opening two minutes and New Paltz's Valdivia and sophomore attacker Melissa Wagner (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) answering with a pair of goals minutes later. The Hawks and Athenas traded goals down the stretch in the first half, and junior midfielder Alexa Vitale (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) knotted the score at 6-all with 3:41 to go before halftime, cashing in off a feed from junior midfielder/defender Rachel Stefanski (Syracuse, N.Y./Onondaga Central). Claremont-Mudd-Scripps received goals from junior attacker/defender Christina Coffin and Hill in the final 22 seconds of the half, however, to give the home team a slight 8-6 edge at the break.
 
Senior midfielder Carissa Citro (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) scored twice, while Valdivia, freshman attacker Caitlyn Morris (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) and senior attacker Kelsey Healy (Central Islip, N.Y./Bay Shore) scored once in the Hawks' 5-0 tear to start the second half, but the Athenas countered with goals from freshman midfielder Ellen Berkley, sophomore midfielder Joanna Heywood, junior midfielder Molly O'Donnell and freshman attacker Tarah Gilbreth to regain the lead. Vitale found the back of the net twice to put New Paltz on top by one goal with 5:07 remaining in regulation, but Claremont-Mudd-Scripps received two key goals from sophomore midfielder Zoe Pinczower and Coffin in the final two minutes of play to give the Athenas a one-goal lead. That allowed Valdivia to score what was perhaps the biggest goal of her career to date, as the Hawks forced overtime.
 
Coffin scored twice in overtime, while freshman midfielder/attacker Lauren Clubb notched Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' final goal of the extra session with 28 seconds to go. The Athenas outshot the Hawks by a 4-1 margin in the six-minute overtime period.
 
New Paltz performed well in the transition game, going 9-for-12 on clear attempts, while its counterpart went 6-for-8. The Athenas also held a 21-13 cushion in draw controls and a 27-13 edge in ground balls while outshooting the Hawks by a 34-26 margin.
 
Vitale and Valdivia paced the Hawk attack with four goals each, while Citro and Wagner each scored twice. Morris and Healy also found the back of the net for New Paltz. Stefanski helped the offense, too, chipping in with two assists. Citro controlled a team-high six draws, while senior defender Julia Johnson (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) and sophomore defender Nicole Gottschalk (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) each caused two turnovers.
 
Coffin's four goals led the way for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, while junior defender Alex Savino caused four turnovers to pace the defense. Freshman midfielder Mikaela Connell tallied nine ground balls, while Cancelmo controlled nine draws.
 
Senior goalkeeper Jackie Ulanoff (Northport, N.Y./Northport) stopped 11 shots in the loss, while freshman goalkeeper Teresa Despres and junior goalkeeper Kate Anello combined for eight saves in the win for the Athenas.