The State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team will finish off regular season SUNYAC play with a crucial pair of games against Oswego State on Friday, Oct. 20 and SUNY Cortland on Saturday, Oct. 21.

"We have not been taking our training and practices for granted and have used them to prepare for our next opponent," Hawks coach Shanna Szablinski said. "This is what we've been working on all season, and it all comes down to one really important weekend."

SUNY New Paltz is tied for second in the conference with the Red Dragons, as both teams have identical SUNYAC records of 3-1. The Lakers are not currently in line for a playoff spot as they sit fifth with a conference record of 2-2. The top four teams in the SUNYAC will advance to the SUNYAC Tournament, which will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

Last season, the Hawks beat Oswego by a score of 6-0. Junior Serena Capsello and sophomore Kaitlyn Gunter each scored a goal, while Gunter and senior Hayley Kim tallied one assist each. Senior Megan Gangewere made three stops in the shutout victory.

SUNY New Paltz has not lost to the Lakers since the 2008 season, but Szablinski explained that the Lakers have changed their dynamic a lot this season under a new regime.

"Oswego has a new coach who has been doing really well with the program," she said. "We're preparing for a different team than we have in the past against them."

In its matchup last season, SUNY New Paltz fell to Cortland 2-1. Senior Anna Branch and junior Jessica Welsh accounted for the Red Dragons' two goals, while junior Jess Gibaldi notched one assist. Gangewere recorded three saves, while her opposition in net, junior Kailynne Reinoehl, also made three stops in the cage.

Cortland has never lost a regular season matchup to the Hawks, but SUNY New Paltz defeated the Red Dragons in the SUNYAC Championship game in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

The team that sits in first place in the conference, SUNY Oneonta, will also play Oswego and Cortland over the weekend. The Red Dragons have an undefeated SUNYAC mark of 4-0, including a 4-1 win over the Hawks back on Sept. 27.

SUNY Geneseo, which sit in fourth place with a conference record of 4-2, are done with SUNYAC play for the season. SUNY New Paltz hold the tiebreaker over the Knights, as the Hawks defeated Geneseo 4-2 earlier this season on Sept. 23.

New Paltz (4-9, 3-1 SUNYAC)
Szablinski remains one win away from her 100^th career victory, and she hopes to reach that milestone over the weekend.
SUNY New Paltz is fourth in the SUNYAC in goals (32) and goals allowed (34).

Senior Justine O'Reilly is second in the conference in goals (12) and points (30) and is tied for third in assists (6). Capsello is second on the team with seven goals, to go along with two assists. Kim is tied for eighth in the SUNYAC with four assists, while junior Samantha Ackerman is tied for fifth with three defensive saves. Ackerman and freshman Carly Croteau each have four goals this season. Gangewere is second in the conference with 154 saves and third with a .819 save percentage.

The Hawks last game was back on Oct. 10, when they fell to then-No. 16 Skidmore College 2-0. Gangewere kept the Thoroughbreds scoreless in the second half and registered 13 saves.

 Oswego (5-6, 2-2 SUNYAC)
The Lakers have scored the second-fewest goals in the SUNYAC with 22, and have allowed the third-most goals with 37.

Junior Katie Reynolds leads the team with eight goals, while senior Monica Harvey is tied for sixth in the conference with five assists. Junior Lacey Woite is second on the Lakers with four goals and four assists. Senior Brianna Ciganek is tied for first in the SUNYAC with five defensive saves. Senior Sarita Charap is fourth in the conference with 89 saves and boasts a .730 save percentage and 3.67 goals against average.

Oswego lost its last game to Hartwick College by a score of 3-0 back on Oct. 17. Charap held the Hawks scoreless in the second half and recorded 17 saves.

Cortland (11-3, 3-1 SUNYAC)
The Red Dragons have allowed the second-fewest goals (17) and have scored the third-most goals (48) in the SUNYAC.

Gibaldi is tied for third in the conference with 11 goals and Welsh is first with eight assists. Branch is second in the SUNYAC with seven assists and is tied for eighth with nine goals, as is sophomore Hannah Burchell. Senior Meg Redmond is tied with Ciganek for first in the conference with five defensive saves. Reinoehl has the highest save percentage (.863) and lowest goals against average (0.99) in the SUNYAC, and currently boasts 82 saves.

Cortland won its last game by a score of 3-1 against St. John Fisher College, who the Hawks lost to 3-0 earlier this season, back on Oct. 14. Branch, Gibaldi and Burchell accounted for the team's three goals, and Reinoehl made eight saves to preserve the victory.