In another pivotal conference weekend, the State University of New York at New Paltz is back on the road to take on SUNY Cortland and Oswego State Friday and Saturday, respectively with the looming results painting a clearer picture of who will remain near the top of the league standings.

The Red Dragons (6-2-2 overall, 2-0-1 SUNYAC) are currently undefeated in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) with the Lakers also unbeaten in conference play at 2-0-1 in SUNYAC and 7-3-1 overall, while the Hawks (7-4, 1-2) are coming off their first SUNYAC win in a 2-1 triumph over Freodnia State.

"This weekend is really big for us," said SUNY New Paltz sophomore defender Pedro Marshall. "It is going to determine whether we are really high up on the table or a little lower than that, but coming off this week I believe that we can get two wins and we'll be up there." 

SUNY Cortland is arguably one the best teams in the conference. The Red Dragons currently sit third in the conference standings with seven points, just below SUNY Oneonta and Plattsburgh State. They earned SUNYAC wins over defending conference championship The College at Brockport, 4-1 and SUNY Geneseo, 2-1, while tying Oswego State, 1-1 in their most recent matchup Oct. 5.

Sophomore forward Anthony Ruggiero, a second-team All-SUNYAC selection last season who previously starred on the North Carolina State's men's soccer program, leads the team with seven goals on the year. Senior midfielders Miguel Tunas and Jake Keller follow offensively with eight points apiece. Incumbent in goal, senior Sean Kelly, is back for his final stint with the Red Dragons. He has totaled 34 saves on 98 shots against, allowing nine goals in eight starts with a modest .791 save percentage.

Last season, the Hawks defeated SUNY Cortland on the South Turf Field 5-1. Kelly was awarded an early red card in the sixth minute forcing the Red Dragons to play down the rest of the way. SUNY New Paltz held a one-goal advantage at the half and then piled on four more in the second to earn just their second win in eight years against the program. Although SUNY Cortland boasts a different and arguably stronger team than last season, the Hawks are just as confident heading into the matchup.

"We just have to show up," Marshall said. "Last year we beat them, 5-1 and that was because we all just really wanted to beat them. They're a good team and they're very consistent, but I believe that if we play our game it's not going to be a problem for us." The Lakers, meanwhile, have suffered just three losses on the year coming from Hamilton, Stockton — who the Hawks defeated, 1-0 earlier this year, and Ithaca. In conference play, however, Oswego has earned solid results, defeating the Golden Eagles and Knights and most recently grinding out a double-overtime draw with Cortland.

Senior forward Caleb Asamoah leads the team with seven goals and one assist. Freshman Steven Rojas and sophomore Slater Bushen follows with eight points apiece. Junior Brian Terra has played the majority of time in goal and registered 45 saves, allowing eight against for a .780 save percentage and five shutouts thus far for a 6-3-1 record.

As a team, the Lakers average two goals a game, but are stout defensively. They have given up a total of eight goals through 11 games and concede .820 goals against per contest, which ranks third in the conference.

For the Hawks, they came away with their first three points in conference against the Blue Devils ending a two-game losing skid in SUNYAC play. Both of those losses came late, with SUNY New Paltz falling to SUNY Oneonta, 1-0 after a goal scored in the 85th minute. Against the Bengals, the Hawks fell 1-0 in overtime.

With two talented teams on the docket in their final road SUNYAC weekend, the Hawks worked on alleviating pressure out of the back by working the ball wide, and finishing their opportunities. They fell if they play their game, they can come home with two statement victories this weekend.

"This week we worked on giving the ball away to our teammates on the sides with pressure, coming out strong. Going against Cortland and Oswego – which is definitely better this year – it is going to be very important to be very important towards our game," Marshall said. "Confidence is high because we have faith in each other and that is going to show in the games."

SUNY New Paltz is set to take on the Red Dragons Friday at 4 p.m. and then will face the Lakers Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup.

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