The State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team enters its final road State University of New York Conference (SUNYAC) weekend of the regular season Friday and Saturday against SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State, respectively.

After tying first-place The College at Brockport Oct. 5, the Hawks (8-4-1 overall, 3-2-1 SUNYAC) are coming off a disappointing, 2-1 overtime loss against bottom-of-the-conference SUNY Geneseo, which dropped them fourth in the SUNYAC standings just ahead of the Cardinals. SUNY New Paltz is looking to move forward from the loss and sweep up against the Bears and Plattsburgh State to secure a playoff spot for the first time since 2016. 

"Geneseo sucked because they were a team we thought we could beat. Moving forward, we're just thinking as a team that it is in the past and we can only control the future for now," said Hawks senior center back Luke Dole. "So, we're looking forward to having a good weekend against Potsdam and Plattsburgh."

Last season, SUNY New Paltz defeated SUNY Potsdam, 3-0, but fell at home to the Cardinals, 2-0. Plattsburgh State went on to clinch the fifth seed in the SUNYAC playoffs, while the Bears were tied with the Hawks for second to last in the standings.

"We just have to play our game," Dole said. "We shouldn't care about where anyone is in the standings, just got to play our game. I think we're one of the best teams in this league, so if we come out and play the way we should be we should have good results this weekend."

Both teams have a different look this season, especially the Cardinals, who features a new coach in Chris Taylor, taking over the program from long-time coach Chris Waterbury.

Heading into the weekend, Plattsburgh State (5-5-2, 3-2) sits fifth in the standings with nine points. Its conference victories have come against SUNY Geneseo, 1-0, SUNY Potsdam, 3-1, and Oswego State, 2-1, before dropping its most recent game against No. 24 SUNY Cortland, 2-0.

Chris Robertson leads the team offensively with four goals, followed by Jimmy Marchena, who has totaled two goals and three assists thus far. Ryan Wilson has started all 12 games, totaling 58 saves with an .829 save percentage. 

The Bears (4-7-1, 0-5), meanwhile, are still looking for their first SUNYAC win. Through their five conference matches, they have totaled two goals, while allowing nine goals against. Alejandro Callejas leads the team with five goals and an assist, while Jakeb Mitchell has started all 12 games in goal and totaled 72 saves for a .713 save percentage. 

Despite the loss against the Knights, SUNY New Paltz still remains confident it can secure not only secure a playoff spot, but also make a run at a SUNYAC title.

"Definitely still feel confident," Dole said. "We've been talking about it recently. Dropping Geneseo was obviously a tough loss, but it doesn't hurt our confidence. We know how we can play. We know we're still a team to be afraid of in this league."

The Hawks are set to take on the Bears Friday at 4 p.m. and then will conclude their road trip Saturday against the Cardinals at 1 p.m. To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.