Box Score Skidmore College just knotted up the score at two Friday against the State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team. But the Hawks hustled back to midfield resumed play and trudged down the field in the 90^th minute to earn a penalty kick with the game on the line. Sophomore Ryan Martinez stepped up and buried the game winner for SUNY New Paltz, capping off a 3-2 triumph over the Thoroughbreds to give his team the season-opening victory.

"Literally off the kick-off, right down their throats, win a corner and then earn a pk and it happened probably 15 seconds after they scored, so it's a good sign for us. I could see it coming getting that goal, because they had done so well dealing with adversity, so it was an exciting thing," said Hawks coach Kyle Clancy. "The first thing I said to them in the end was how proud I was of them being able to overcome that momentum shift and adversity. That was something that we really struggled last year when we lost momentum we had a tough time getting it back."

It was a fitting way to start off 2018 for SUNY New Paltz, which last season struggled to overcome slow starts and early deficits. The Hawks opened up Friday by taking a commanding 2-0 lead after controlling the ball for most of play.

Sophomore Kevin Doorley, who came off a strong first-season for the Hawks by leading the team in goals and points on the year, got SUNY New Paltz on the board after putting away a pass from Martinez to open up the second half.

"They were great. Definitely both very dynamic in the final third. They both have a very good ability to finish," Clancy said. "The second goal was very opportunistic by Kevin. It was a great effort to block the clearance and it was a really good finish on a tight angle. But they are hungry, they're hungry to get to the goal. They like to score goals and they are great finishers."

Doorley then tacked on another goal in the 54^th minute to extend the cushion, but Skidmore made a late run starting with Alex Ricci's goal in the 79^th.
Ricci was the catalyst again for the Thoroughbreds, tying up the score with an unassisted goal in the 88^th minute. However, the Hawks immediately answered in dramatic fashion to earn the penalty kick to eventually put away the win.

"The key to that today was that we absolutely excelled in possessing the ball," Clancy said. "The team was very patient and they built out of the back well. We were able to break the team down well and that created a lot of great chances. While I was very pleased with [Doorley and Martinez] in finishing, the way they carried that from last season, I just think that was an overall extreme team effort in being able to build to get those opportunities."

SUNY New Paltz out-shot Skidmore, 14-9, in the game with Doorley and Martinez leading the way with three shots apiece. The Hawks were also aggressive around the box, earning five corners on the day to just two for the Thoroughbreds.

John Guzzo played all 90 minutes in net for SUNY New Paltz, as the senior finished with five saves on the day.

"As a team both sides of the ball they worked extremely well together and that was really excited to see," added Clancy.

The Hawks are back in action Saturday, as they take on Union College at 6 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.