Box Score New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team looked for a victory to close out the regular season, but ultimately fell to Oswego State, 19-7 Saturday on the North Turf Field.
 
The game served as a final tune-up for the Hawks to find holes in their performance before heading to their first ever State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) playoff game Tuesday. The loss to the Lakers cements their sixth place SUNYAC standing, meaning they will go on the road and play the No. 3 seed The College at Brockport in the first round.
 
"We had 31 shots and won the draw circle for the game," said Hawks coach Keith Detelj. "We have to be more clinical with our possessions, and we have the chance to do that Tuesday."
 
Despite the difference in the scoring summary, SUNY New Paltz took almost as many shots as Oswego State, 34-31, 17 of which were on goal. The Hawks led in draw controls, 15-13, six of which were claimed by sophomore offensive midfielder Keydy Espinoza, followed by senior offensive midfielder Rachael Purtell with five.
 
SUNY New Paltz started the game off strong, with senior defensive midfielder Sarah Raynock obtaining the first draw control. They couldn't maintain possession, however, and the Lakers sunk two goals before the Hawks found one. Sophomore attacker Amy Hofer claimed SUNY New Paltz's first goal off a feed from senior attacker Taylor Russell. The duo had plenty of space to make the shot due to the quick possession change after Purtell caught a draw control and passed it up the field towards Oswego State's cage.
 
The Lakers scored another seven goals before the Hawks hit their stride. Junior attacker Emily Puciloski charged the cage for SUNY New Paltz's third goal, the opportunity taken from a free position shot.
 
The goal inspired the Hawks to make their move; a caused turnover by Raynock gave possession back to SUNY New Paltz, leading to a freshman attacker Katie Zito goal, her first of two in the game. She'd was back to score in the first two minutes of the second half off a feed from Russell.
 
The Hawks' third consecutive goal came from the player who started the trend; Puciloski found a hole in Oswego State's strong defense after they blocked four shots in a row from SUNY New Paltz. A feed from Zito and a quick shot supplied the Hawks with their fourth goal.
 
The Lakers dominated the second half, and SUNY New Paltz struggled to steal the ball and were forced to put a focus on their defense. Sophomore Haley Timarky made four of her five saves during the second half, one of which directly led to a Hawks' goal. Timarky got the ball out quickly off a clear, providing freshman attacker Maddy Carullo and easy chance to make her move.
 
Russell's third assist of the game led to SUNY New Paltz's final goal. The pass, obtained from another draw control from Purtell, was sent to sophomore attacker Tara Bovich for the seventh goal. The short amount of time on the clock and the smooth play inspired hope for redemption, but SUNY New Paltz was unable to make up the deficit.
 
"Although it was not the result we wanted today to end the season, we look forward to going after our first playoff victory in three days," said Detelj.
 
The final regular season game also served as a senior celebration, honoring Russell, Purtell, Raynock and defensive midfielder Ashley Seiter. The seniors were presented to the crowd before the game's start and commemorated for their dedication throughout their careers. The four will be the first graduating New Paltz women's lacrosse class to attend a SUNYAC playoff match.

The Hawks are back Tuesday to fight in a SUNYAC playoff game for the first time in school history. 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.