Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Looking to play in its fifth-straight SUNYAC Final, the No. 2 seeded field hockey team at the State University of New York at New Paltz fell just short on Wednesday, falling to visiting No. 3 seed SUNY Geneseo 1-0 in the 2016 SUNYAC Semifinals at North Turf Field.

The Hawks end their season at 9-9 while the Knights improve to 10-9 overall and will now host No. 4 seed SUNY Oneonta on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. as the Red Dragons upset No. 1 seed SUNY Cortland 2-1 in overtime to advance to the championship match.

Geneseo has now won nine of its past 10 contests after starting the year off 1-8. This marks the first loss for New Paltz against the Knights (including the postseason) since 2013 when Geneseo won 2-1 in the regular season.
 

Looking at the scoresheet, New Paltz dominated offensively, outshooting the Knights 21-9, including a 13-9 shots-on-goal advantage. The Hawks also attempted 11 penalty corners, compared to six from Geneseo.

Unfortunately, it was the Knights who found the back of the cage in the 30^th minute of action when junior midfielder Diana Ruggiero netted her fourth goal of the season off a penalty corner to put the Hawks behind 1-0. Junior midfielder Morgan Maley and junior forward Giovanna Fasnello provided assists on the score.

New Paltz had several great scoring opportunities but could not capitalize and fell just short of advancing to the title tilt on Saturday. Senior forward Kayla McKeveny (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East), playing her final match at New Paltz, fired a match-high seven shots, with four being on target. Classmate Erin Landy (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem Central) provided four shots in her final game as a Hawk.

Junior midfielder Hayley Kim (West Hurley, NY/Onteora) fired three shots while junior forward Justine O'Reilly (West Sayville, NY/Sayville) and freshman forward Kaitlyn Gunter (Schuylerville, NY/Schuylerville) notched two shots apiece.

For their efforts in the postseason, both McKeveny and senior back Colleen Roemer (Pound Ridge, NY/Fox Lane) were named to the 2016 SUNYAC All-Tournament Team.

Junior goalkeeper Megan Gangewere (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area) made six saves in cage for the Hawks. Her counterpart, junior Nicole Gregg, played great and made 11 saves in the shutout.