With more than half of its conference season left, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team has already completed its goal of discarding its underdog status, but is far from finished. The Hawks look to continue their success, surpass expectations and set new records in their historic season as they travel to Oneonta for their fourth State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) match Wednesday.
SUNY New Paltz celebrated its sixth consecutive win after demolishing Fredonia State, 24-7. Eight different players registered goals throughout the game, led by sophomore attackers Amy Hofer and Tara Bovich, who scored six apiece. The victory was highlighted by sophomore offensive midfielder Keydy Espinoza's 12 draw controls, a career high.
The win was the first against Fredonia in history, and defines the Hawks' (7-2 overall, 3-0 SUNYAC) most successful conference season yet, surpassing the previous record set by the 2012 team, who recorded two conference wins. SUNY New Paltz now matches the 2012 and 2011 teams for highest overall records (both 7-10), but are more than confident in eclipsing the previous marks in the ample time within the next six conference games.
"We are very focused on making the best of the spot we put ourselves in," said Hawks coach Keith Detelj. "We are not losing sight of what got us here: working hard, learning quickly and having each others backs."
SUNY New Paltz has yet to take home a victory over SUNY Oneonta in the 16 games between the two schools. In the previous season, the Red Dragons defeated the Hawks, 17-7, which was an improvement for SUNY New Paltz compared to its 2017 loss, 17-3. The slow progress inspires conviction that the Hawks will take home the long awaited victory against its Catskill Cup rival.
The game will only be the second conference match for the Red Dragons (5-4 overall, 1-0 SUNYAC) after narrowly defeating Buffalo State, 16-14, a team they typically best by larger differences in scores. SUNY Oneonta and SUNY New Paltz have shared two non-conference competitors this season, both of which they earned victories against. The Red Dragons defeated Farmingdale State College, 17-6, while the Hawks won by a score of 17-7. SUNY Oneonta and SUNY New Paltz both triumphed over Hartwick College, but the Red Dragons boasted a larger margin, 18-4, compared to the Hawks' 9-8 overtime victory.
The game is expected to be a close match, but SUNY New Paltz is prepared to bring home another win.
"Our team mentality now is focused on the next challenge," said Detelj. "We are always working on what is the product we are putting out there and how we can make that better."
The Hawks are set to take on the Red Dragons in Oneonta, NY Wednesday April 3 at 4 p.m. To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.
