Box Score

CAZENOVIA, N.Y. – After inclement weather and poor field conditions wreaked havoc on the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team's schedule the past week, the Hawks responded in a big way with an 11-9 victory over SUNY Oswego in their State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener Tuesday afternoon at Cazenovia College's Christakos Field.

The victory's significance comes in that it marks the Hawks' first conference win away from home since a 12-6 triumph over Buffalo State on April 20, 2001, in Buffalo, N.Y.

In a game that was tightly-contest throughout, New Paltz overcame 2-0 and 5-3 Oswego leads in the first half. After the Lakers took a 5-3 lead, the Hawks closed the first stanza with three unanswered goals, with sophomore attacker Melissa Wagner (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) scoring twice and senior midfielder Lianne Valdivia (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) scoring once. While Oswego tied the score at 6-all in the first two minutes of the second half, New Paltz buried three consecutive markers to seize a lead it would not relinquish.

New Paltz rises to 2-3 overall (1-0 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts Buffalo State on Saturday, April 4, at 1 p.m. Oswego drops to 4-5 overall (0-2 SUNYAC) with the loss and visits SUNY Fredonia next on Friday, April 3, at 4 p.m.

Oswego took an early 2-0 lead off goals from junior attacker Emily Lange and sophomore attacker Briana Kimble, but the Hawks countered with three goals that came in a span of three minutes, with senior midfielder Carissa Citro (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) burying two goals before senior attacker Kelsey Healy (Central Islip, N.Y./Bay Shore) capped the run with 21:34 to go in the half. The Lakers relied on scores from junior midfielder Lindsey Eggers and senior midfielders Mackenzie Kjerstad and Miranda Czechowski to build a 5-3 lead before New Paltz scored three goals before halftime to enter the intermission with a 6-5 advantage.

Kimble knotted the tally at 6-all 1:54 into the new period, but Healy, Wagner and Citro each scored to stake the Hawks to a 9-6 lead. Sophomore attacker Kelsey Henderson and junior attacker Erannan Shattuck pulled the Lakers within one at 9-8 before junior midfielder Alexa Vitale (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) buried the eventual game-winner with 12:28 to go in regulation. Junior midfielder Esther Gabriel scored for Oswego less than a minute later to make it a one-goal game once again, but Citro punctuated the contest's scoring a minute later. Neither team was able to score down the stretch, and New Paltz pulled out the neutral-site win.

New Paltz finished with a slight 29-25 edge in shots while playing well in transition, going 25-for-28 on clear attempts. Oswego went 15-for-18 on clears and held the upper hand in draw controls, 16-5.

Citro keyed the Hawk attack with four goals and two assists, while Wagner scored three goals. Healy (2) and Valdivia (1) also found the back of the net for New Paltz. Wagner and senior defender Julia Johnson (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) each scooped up four ground balls, while sophomore defender Nicole Gottschalk (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) caused three turnovers.

For Oswego, eight different student-athletes scored, while Gabriel came away with a game-high five draw controls.

Senior goalkeeper Jackie Ulanoff (Northport, N.Y./Northport) played a key role in the victory, turning aside 13 shots, while her counterpart, freshman Angela Ponto, made 12 saves.