PLATTSBURGH, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team fell to Plattsburgh State 1-0 on the road Friday. The loss officially eliminates the Hawks from playoff contention. SUNY New Paltz now holds an overall record of 4-10-2 and a SUNYAC record of 1-6-1.
 
"Small details matter every minute of every game," Hawks coach Mike Eckberg said. "I thought we were really great in the first half, while we lacked awareness in the second half."
 
The Cardinals got on the scoreboard early when Allison Seidman scored her third goal of the season in the ninth minute. Just over a minute after the goal, Seidman put another shot on target, but this one was handled by SUNY New Paltz goalkeeper Megan Tornatore. Plattsburgh State did not put another shot on target for the remainder of the first half. 
 The Cardinals performed well defensively in the first half as well, allowing the Hawks just two shots on target within the first 45 minutes. Despite not getting many shots off, Eckberg was still pleased with his team's offensive play in the first half.
 
He said, "I thought the quality of our attacking moments in the first half were great. We were patient. We allowed our attack to build, and we got quality sequences going to goal."
 
Both the Cardinals and the Hawks remained steady defensively to open the second half. As the clock continued to tick with the Hawks down 1-0 and their playoff chances getting slimmer and slimmer, there was a moment of hope. In the 74th minute, Sky Pedroza appeared to score the equalizer. However, a questionable offsides call took the goal off the scoreboard and broke the hearts of the Hawks.
 
"It was a heartbreaker to have a goal called back that appeared to be onsides," Eckberg said. 
 
SUNY New Paltz had one more chance to send the game to overtime when Erika McCue fired a shot in the final 25 seconds, but the shot was off target, ending both the game and the chance for the Hawks to play in the conference tournament. 
 
With the win, the Cardinals clinched a spot in the SUNYAC playoffs. They join Geneseo, Cortland, and Brockport as teams that have clinched. 

The Hawks will close out their SUNYAC schedule Saturday when they take on the Bears of SUNY Potsdam in a 1 p.m. showdown. 

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