2017 Roster
2017 Schedule
2016 Statistics

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Under the tutelage of first-year interim head coach Keith Detelj, the 2017 women's lacrosse team at the State University of New York at New Paltz looks to make strides within the SUNYAC and make a push to the postseason.

The Hawks (3-13, 0-8 SUNYAC in 2016) have three senior co-captains this season Nicole Petrullo (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow), Melissa Wagner (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley) and Nicole Gottschalk (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury).

"I'm very excited and eager for this opportunity and ready to take our program to the next level," Detelj explained.

"Our goals are always to get better within in the SUNYAC, earn a playoff berth and knock off some teams," he continued. "With all of our seniors and leaders, they are breaking in the freshmen and getting them up to speed and they will all put up big numbers for us this season."

The New Paltz offense welcomes back all leading scorers from a year ago as the Hawks did not lose any players to graduation.

The 2017 campaign begins at home on North Turf Field against non-conference foe Manhattanville on Wednesday, March 8 at 3 p.m. The first SUNYAC contest of the year will be at home on Saturday, April 1 at 1 p.m., as the Hawks play host to SUNY Cortland.

Attack
Juniors Caitlyn Morris (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) and Kelsey Aeberli (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) along with seniors Nicole Stackpole (North Bellmore, NY/W.C. Mepham) and Wagner lead this corps.

Morris tallied 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points in 2016 while providing 24 ground balls and 13 draw control wins. Aeberli, meanwhile, contributed 13 scores and six helpers for 19 points last year as well as 12 draw control wins.

Stackpole and Wagner combined for 20 goals and 11 assists last season and Stackpole enjoyed one game-winning goal to her credit.
 

Wagner on the upcoming season:  "I am extremely excited for this season. Since we didn't have any graduating seniors last year, we have had an extra year to build team chemistry and I am looking forward to the addition of our freshmen and goalie on the field this year.

This season has already been a completely different environment and I am looking forward to what our hard work in preseason will result in during the season. We are a completely different team with a new drive, purpose and focus. These are the three things that have made a difference within the team so far and will continue to push us where no other New Paltz women's lacrosse team ever has this season and I am excited and honored to be a part of it."

Junior Colleen Jones (Ardsley, NY/Hackley School) returns after notching five scores and 11 ground balls in 2016, as does sophomore Taylor Russell (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) who scored four goals in her rookie campaign.

Sophomore Danielle Dulligan (Bayside, NY/Saint Francis Preparatory) rounds out the attack group as she tallied one goal on four shots in 2016.

Midfield
The midfield is led by Gottschalk, senior Alexa Criollo (Queens, NY/Forest Hills) and sophomore Rachael Purtell (Minetto, NY/Oswego). This trio accounted for 48 goals last year, which was 44 percent of the total scoring offense in 2016.

Gottschalk tallied a team-leading 23 goals to go along with six assists for a team-best 29 points. Gottschalk also enjoyed two game-winning goals, a team-high 28 ground balls, 27 draw control wins and 12 caused turnovers while leading the team with 60 shots.

Gottschalk on the upcoming season: "We've been very fortunate with the warm weather and have been able to practice out on our turf in these past few weeks. This has been our best preseason yet in my four years here at New Paltz. Our team dynamic on and off the field has been great.

After having a scrimmage against Vassar, we have a good amount of time to fix some of the things that went wrong before our first game. It was a great chance to put together what we have worked on in preseason and see how we need to improve before the actual season starts."

Criollo started 12 contests in 2016 and recorded 14 goals and four assists for 18 points. She also provided 14 ground balls, 14 draw control wins and 11 caused turnovers.

Purtell, meanwhile, started every game last season and registered 11 goals and 13 points on 41 shots, which tied for second-most on the team. Purtell led the Hawks with 32 draw control wins and recorded 22 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers.

Junior Kayla Massena (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) played in all 16 contests last year, earning six starts, and accounted for 26 ground balls, 16 caused turnovers, six draw controls wins and two shots.

Joining the midfield this season are freshmen Jennifer O'Leary (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow), Emily Puciloski (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow) and Jahna Beiling (Rochester, NY/Webster Schroeder).

Defense
The back line is controlled by Petrullo as she appeared in all 16 games last year, notching 26 ground balls, a team-leading 16 caused turnovers and six draw control wins.

Petrullo on the upcoming season: "Preseason has been going really well and I'm really proud of how hard everyone has been working. We're a brand new team this year with a new group of girls who have been working hard at every practice and team lift. We are all motivated and determined to win games this year and I'm excited to go out and compete."
 

Juniors Amara Kutos (Washington, DC/Woodrow Wilson) and Orlagh Brady (Floral Park, NY/Archbishop Molloy) also return for the Hawks as well as sophomore Maya Stang (Clinton, NY/Clinton).
Kutos and Brady both started seven games last year while Stang played in 14 contests, earning one start.

Wrapping up the defense is sophomore Ashley Seiter (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Mount Sinai), freshman Alicia Kennedy (Patchogue, NY/Patchogue Medford) and freshman Charlene Zook (Syracuse, NY/Henninger).


Goalkeeper
Sophomore Kendra Dansereau (Chesapeake, VA/Cape Henry Collegiate) is the lone keeper on the roster this season, looking to replace departing Colleen Roemer, who tallied 136 saves last year.

Dansereau transferred from Goucher, where she appeared in eight games last season for the Gophers, starting three. She tallied 31 saves with a record of 1-2 in over 200 minutes of action.