For the first time in program history, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team will make its State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) playoff debut.

Entering as the underdog, the Hawks are prepared to eclipse old expectations and take home a win against The College at Brockport Tuesday and advance further into competition.

"We're all extremely excited for this upcoming game. Knowing that were doing something that has never been done before is a very special feeling," said Hawks senior attacker Taylor Russell. "We are definitely more confident going into this game against Brockport than we were the first time we played them. Now that we have played them before we know their style and pace of play and believe we can match it." 

SUNY New Paltz (8-7 overall, 4-5 SUNYAC) sit in the sixth and final seed of the SUNYAC bracket. Winning a playoff bid was a goal the team set early in the season, but that no longer satisfies the hungry Hawks, who are eager to further demonstrate their improvement. SUNY New Paltz looks forward to breaking its four-game losing streak and redeem themselves from their last meeting with the Golden Eagles, which resulted in a loss.

The Hawks faced The College at Brockport (12-4 overall, 7-2 SUNYAC) just a week ago, with the Golden Eagles taking home the victory, 17-8, which helped grant them the third seed in the SUNYAC playoffs and the honor of hosting the game. SUNY New Paltz looks forward to patching holes in its performance that hindered their success the first time around, such as focusing on its draw circle and fighting against turnovers, as well as maintaining a high energy throughout the game.

"I think it's very important for us to keep in mind that we are more than capable of competing against any team in the SUNYAC," Russell said. "We have proven that this season. It's important that we play like ourselves and leave it all out there on the field."

Despite never recording a win against The College at Brockport, the Hawks are confident in their ability to surprise the competition. The winner of the match will move on to face No. 2 seed SUNY Cortland in the penultimate round, while the defeated team's season will come to an end.

"We are a special group who has always looked to better ourselves," said Hawks coach Keith Detelj. "They have an attitude to make the best of this opportunity they have made for themselves and leave it all out there."

SUNY New Paltz will travel to Brockport to take on the Golden Eagles Tuesday at 4 p.m. for a first round SUNYAC postseason matchup. 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.