The State University of New York at New Paltz walked off its home turf Sept. 2 victorious for the first time since upgrading its field three seasons ago. And on Friday and Saturday, when the Hawks gear up for their match ups against John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Manhattanville College, they hope to push that winning streak to three.
 
"I think getting a win on our home turf is important to us," said SUNY New Paltz senior defender Shaye Alviene. "We started the season out and it was our first win on this turf and it means a lot. We want to keep that going."
 
The Hawks opened up the year 2-1 before dropping their last two games against Western New England University and Bard College on the road. They totaled six goals while conceding just three in their first three outings. However, in their previous two contests have found the back of the net once, while letting up five goals.
 
"We had a really good start to our season, got a lot of wins. We slowed down a little bit this [past] weekend, but I think we're ready to come back out," Alviene said. "Coach really stresses starting every game where we set the tempo. So that means winning every 50-50 ball, setting the speed and how hard we work."
 
The key for SUNY New Paltz heading into its weekend set of games is setting the tone from the opening whistle. Coach Mike Eckberg preaches the importance of controlling the controlables, which means work rate, hustle and effort.
 
"I think some adjustments we need to make is just focusing and buckling down, working more as a cohesive unit," said sophomore midfielder Nicole Sheintul, who notched her first career goal against Ramapo College in the Hawks' home opener. "I think we lost our way a little bit, but as long as we work together I think we'll be successful."
 
The Bloodhounds (3-2) are coming off a 4-0 victory over Gwynedd Mercy University, which ended a two-game losing skid. Offensively they are led by Kimberly Robledo (four goals) and Camila Vasquez (two goals, one assist), while Kelli Doherty has started all four games in goal and posted a 78.6 save percentage after allowing three goals against.
 
Meanwhile, the Valiants (1-2-1) are coming off their second loss of the season against Kean College Sept. 13. They have allowed five goals against through four games, while netting just four goals in that span.
 
Ashley Pacheco leads Manhattanville with two goals on six shots, while Bella Beltrami has played the all 380 minutes in net, allowing five goals against and tallying 24 saves thus far.
 
The Hawks are set to face John Jay on Friday on the South Turf field at 4 p.m. and then come back on Saturday to take on the Valiants for a 4:30 p.m. match up. For live updates and highlights of both games, follow @nphawks on Twitter.