After a dominating performance in its last outing, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team is ready to get back in action Wednesday against Albertus Magnus College.
The matchup is the last non-conference game for the Hawks (5-2 overall) until they enter State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play. They expect the Falcons (4-2-1) to give them a tough fight and is looking for a strong performance that couples into their sixth win of the season before they see SUNY Oneonta Saturday.

"The team in general they try to play and they've got some technical players," said SUNY New Paltz coach Kyle Clancy. "It is a good opponent for us and again, it is our last preparation before SUNYACs so I think this is a really good team to play." 
The two teams have only faced once before, which came last year when the Hawks earned a 4-2 win. SUNY New Paltz defeated Albertus Magnus early in its 2018 run, picking up what was its third-straight win at the time. Ryan Martinez helped the Hawks get out in front with James Hennessy doubling up on the lead not long after. The Falcons responded with a goal, but Luke Dole pushed SUNY New Paltz's lead 3-1 just before halftime and Kevin Doorley added an insurance goal in the 69th minute to help the team to the victory.  

Going into Wednesday, Albertus Magnus has played in three double overtime games in its last four contests, while going 1-2-1 in that span. Most recently, the Falcons suffered a 4-0 loss to St. Joseph's Sept. 21.

Junior forward Salah Oumorou leads the team with seven goals and three assists on the year, putting away three game-winners in seven games played. Junior forward Abdoul Aremu and freshman midfielder Anthony Barreira follows with six and five points, respectively.

"I definitely think they will [challenge us]," Clancy said. "They've got a couple of very good forwards and the one kid is a really dangerous player. He is technically good, can create on his own, makes good runs, has got a great touch. That is the stuff that we will need to see and it will be a great challenge for the back line being able to control him."

The Hawks' defense has played well throughout their first seven contest, but some fine tuning can still be made with conference action around the corner. SUNY New Paltz has totaled five shutouts thus far, but is about 11 days removed from giving up three scores in a tough 3-2 loss to King's College. The defense held firm for another zero on the scoreboard Saturday, but Clancy still wants to see a cleaner game from his group.

"They're not playing poorly, but I think in that game we were just a little too casual with some of our passing and our timing on the ball," Clancy said. "We are making some of the same mistakes… so I think it was just little things, little habits that we try to teach them. I think being up 3-0 in the first 15 minutes can sometimes get you out of that ability to really focus on what the role is and you get a little complacent, but that's all. Little mistakes that I know are really easily correctable and they are going to be able to fix as we head into this week."

Junior goalkeeper Marc DePasquale leads SUNY New Paltz defensively. He has made 25 saves, while conceding just five goals against with a .833 save percentage and a 4-2 overall record.

On the offensive end, sophomore James Maltes paces the Hawks in goals (five) and points (10). He scored two more Saturday in a win over Farmingdale. Freshman midfielder Philip Varner also saw two scores in the game, tallying his first collegiate goals of his young career. Kevin Doorley has just one goal, but is SUNY New Paltz's biggest playmaker. The junior midfielder leads the team with seven assists thus far. Doorley will again play a vital role for SUNY New Paltz Wednesday against the Falcons.

The Hawks are set to host Albertus Magnus Wednesday on the South Turf Field at 4 p.m.

To watch the game live, and follow along with live stats, click here.

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