After Wednesday's tough 2-0 road loss to the fourth ranked team in the region in Hudson Valley rival Vassar College, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team hopes the exhilaration of last weekend's double SUNYAC win in the North Country carries over to its Saturday home matchup with the Red Dragons of Oneonta.
 
The Hawks claimed six points on the road in the conference at Potsdam and Plattsburgh Oct. 1 and 2, respectively, which included an upset over the then No. 5 regionally ranked Cardinals who had not lost in the SUNYAC prior to their defeat to SUNY New Paltz.
 
Oneonta, meanwhile, lost both its road matchups against the two programs, 1-0 and 3-0, respectively, and currently sit second to last in the conference with one point, just above Buffalo State with zero points through three SUNYAC games played thus far. 
The Red Dragons enter Saturday's game still searching for their first victory of the year, heading in with an overall record of 0-8-1 and 0-3-1 SUNYAC mark. Oneonta has suffered through seven shutouts this season, including two during their North Country swing last weekend. The bright spot for the Red Dragons was a 1-1 tie with The College at Brockport, a team the Hawks lost to 1-0, but these statistics won't fool SUNY New Paltz; since the series between the two clubs began in 1985, Oneonta holds a commanding 33-4 lead, including 2019's 5-1 win over the Hawks.
 
The Red Dragons have scored three goals this season, with junior Joie Tortorice (Melville, NY), freshman Shannon Lowney (Massapequa, NY) and sophomore Ashley Wilber (Niskayuna, NY) finding the back of the net. Senior goalkeeper Claire Lepper (Poland, NY) has played all nine games and holds a 2.85 goals-against-average, while totaling 57 saves.
 
SUNY New Paltz, now 4-5-1, but 2-2 in SUNYAC, continue to be led by freshman Rachel Eisert (Bellmore, NY) with five goals. Graduate student Sky Pedroza (Levittown, NY) has netted three for the Hawks, while junior Siena Diaz-Colon has registered two goals and three assists. Playing big over the weekend was junior defender Jess Funke (Smithtown, NY) whose one goal and steady defense sealed her team's weekend victories and earned her SUNYAC Player of the Week honors. SUNY New Paltz goalie Kyra Russo has also been a rock in net, allowing 12 goals in 10 games, with a 1.22 goals-against-average and 38 saves on the season.
 
SUNY New Paltz hopes to add on three more points to its SUNYAC total Saturday in order to stay in the mix for its first postseason berth since 2012. Kickoff between the Hawks and Red Dragons is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the South Turf Field.

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