Box Score

NEW PALTZ, NY – Two second half scores help lift the men's soccer team at the State University of New York at New Paltz to a critical 3-1 SUNYAC victory over visiting SUNY Fredonia on Friday afternoon at South Turf Field to remain in the thick of the league playoff picture.

The Hawks (7-3-7, 3-3-2 SUNYAC) now have 11 points heading into tomorrow's regular season finale against Buffalo State (15 points, currently in third place). The most up-to-date SUNYAC standings can be found here.

The match tomorrow will mark Senior Day as well as the Heinz Ahlmeyer Game, played in honor of Heinz Ahmeyer, Jr. '66, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in 1967.

Fredonia (10-6-1, 4-4-0 SUNYAC; 12 points) started the scoring, notching an impressive free kick goal in just the ninth minute of play to hand New Paltz a 1-0 hole to dig out of.

However, junior midfielder Aleco Podias (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) scored the equalizer in the 42^nd minute, taking a feed from freshman back James Hennessy (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee) and ripped a shot past the Fredonia keeper from just outside the 18 to knot the contest at 1-1 just before intermission.

For Podias, this was his fourth goal against the Blue Devils in the last two meetings as he notched a hat-trick versus Fredonia last season.

The Hawks then went ahead in the 58^th minute when senior midfielder Sam Wasser (Melville, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) lofted in a ball off a corner kick, finding the head of junior midfielder Ben Zilka (Levittown, NY/General Douglas MacArthur), who then produced a flick-on header which found senior midfielder Sam Spring (Long Island City, NY/NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies). Spring headed home the goal, his sixth of the year, to give New Paltz the 2-1 advantage.

In the 70^th minute, senior midfielder Charlie Versen (Dobbs Ferry, NY/The Masters School) lofted a set piece from 25 yards out which found the feet of freshman Thomas Preece (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa), who buried in his first career goal to extended the New Paltz lead to 3-1.

For the match, the Hawks held a 14-8 shots advantage as freshman forward Luke Dole (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) led the attack with four shots. Spring and Versen both tallied two shots apiece.

After allowing the early goal, junior netminder John Guzzo (Carle Place, NY/Carle Place) settled down nicely and finished the contest with three saves.