Box Score POTSDAM, N.Y. – While the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team entered halftime down just one goal (9-8), the Hawks lost, 17-12, to SUNY Potsdam at Maxcy Turf Field on Tuesday afternoon in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest.
New Paltz scored the final three goals of the first half to cut the deficit to one heading into the halftime intermission, with the last score of the surge coming from senior defender
Julia Johnson (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) with 35 seconds left. The Bears, however, netted six of the first seven goals of the second half to mount a lead they would not relinquish.
New Paltz drops to 2-6 overall (1-3 SUNYAC) with the loss and hosts No. 19 SUNY Fredonia next on Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. Potsdam rises to 3-7 overall (1-2 SUNYAC) with the win and entertains SUNY Canton next on Thursday, April 9, at 4 p.m.
The momentum teetered in both directions in the opening portions of the game, with Potsdam scoring the contest's first two goals before New Paltz netted the next two, both of which came from senior midfielder
Carissa Citro (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place). The two teams went back and forth until the Bears went on a 4-1 run to seize a 9-5 lead. The Hawks cut into that deficit in the final 2:43 of the first half, with sophomore attacker
Melissa Wagner (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley), senior attacker
Jackie Wilkom (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) and Johnson all scoring to pull the visitors within one (9-8) at the half.
The second half was mostly controlled by Potsdam, as the Bears opened the stanza on a 6-1 spurt. Senior midfielder
Lianne Valdivia (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) found the back of the net to break up the run with 15:20 left in regulation, but the Bears answered with two consecutive goals. Wagner and Wilkom each scored in the final 2:51 of the contest to spell the final score of 17-12.
Potsdam finished with a 41-19 edge in shots and a 21-10 cushion in draw controls, and the home team also went 15-for-17 on clear attempts. New Paltz, meanwhile, went 16-for-25 on clears.
Citro scored four goals on four shots to lead the Hawk offense, while Valdivia netted three markers. Wagner and Wilkom each scored twice, while Johnson scored once. Defensively, sophomore defender
Nicole Gottschalk (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) and senior goalkeeper
Jackie Ulanoff (Northport, N.Y./Northport) scooped up six ground balls each, while Valdivia caused four turnovers.
For Potsdam, sophomore midfielder Murphy Newman led the attack with five goals and one assist, while sophomore attacker Katie Lapinski and senior midfielder Margaret Wall each finished with three goals. Senior attacker Bailey Weigel impacted the game on both sides of the field, tallying 13 draw controls, two goals, three assists, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Ulanoff stopped 14 shots in between the pipes for the Hawks, while her counterpart, sophomore goalkeeper Devan Olschewske, made four saves.
