New Paltz, NY --- The State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team came off an historic victory Thursday at home at Oneonta and although the win was momentous for the program and kept postseason hopes alive, the Hawks still needed to earn a win over visiting Plattsburgh Monday with a pivotal matchup against Cortland looming in their regular season finale Saturday.

The Hawks (5-2 overall, 5-2 SUNYAC) may have overlooked the third-year program in the Cardinals (0-5, 0-5), a team they defeated handily 22-6, the first time around in Plattsburgh. On Monday the visitors made sure it was a tighter game this time around and SUNY New Paltz needed to fight through every minute to come out with a 15-7 victory.

"Getting that win was definitely important," said Hawks freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Shaw. "It felt great all around, but coming off a big win against Oneonta definitely helped us even more. We're going into a big game against Cortland on Saturday and I think having another win under our belt will definitely improve our mindset and get us ready for possibly playoffs if we make it."
 

The opening 30 minutes was a back-and-forth battle, with the Cardinals jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead. Maddie Gillis, who finished with a career-high five points, broke up the run with an unassisted goal on a rocket to the near pipe to cut the deficit to 3-1 with about 17 minutes left.

SUNY New Paltz struggled hanging on to the ball with Plattsburgh adding pressure defensively and in transition. The Cardinals added another about three minutes later, taking advantage of a turnover to get their lead back up to three with about 14 minutes left in the half. Hawks coach Keith Detelj called a timeout to regroup his team and they responded by taking its first lead of the game late in the half. 
Maddy Carullo started the run with about 10 minutes remaining, taking the ball herself through the Cardinals defense for the score. Amy Hofer got in on the action after capitalizing on a man-up situation, finishing on a pass from Ella Malanga. Hofer won the ensuing draw control and quickly gave her team a 4-4 tie 30 seconds later. Hofer again gained possession in the circle and this time Katie Zito was the beneficiary, as the junior earned a free position and netted her first of the day to give the Hawks a 5-4 lead with about six minutes remaining before the break.  

Plattsburgh won the ensuing draw and Frankie Porcaro capitalized for her team shortly after to tie the game once again, this time at five-all. Another draw control for the Cardinals had them taking advantage once more, this time off a goal by Lindsay Guzzetta. Their cushion didn't last long, however, as Shannon Brosnan won her team back possession at midfield off a good check. Keydy Espinoza then found Zito for the goal and created a six-all stalemate with just less than four minutes to go in the half.

Shaw came through for her team at the break, scoring following another yellow given to Plattsburgh, which helped her team to a 7-6 lead going into the final 30 minutes.

"I think we just got a new wave of energy," Shaw said. "I think everybody was just seeing better and seeing the field as a team and I think we were working off of each other and it helped me to get through those lanes and put more goals on the board."

The second half was all Hawks. They out-scored Plattsburgh 8-1 in the half and out-shot them, 19-2 in that span. Gillis and Hofer helped aid in the offensive out-put to start the second, scoring or assisting on their first four goals of the period. Guzetta added one for the Cardinals with 15 minutes left, but SUNY New Paltz countered with four-straight goals, including two by Shaw to end the game.
 

FINAL SCORE UPDATE: @newpaltzlax takes the win against Plattsburgh! The Hawks rounded out the final quarter of the game with 3 goals, 2 by Kaitlyn Shaw and another by @amyhoferr

FINAL:

Hawks-15
Cardinals-7#NPWLax #NPHawks #D3Lax #SUNYAC pic.twitter.com/NKlpn1JQrc

— New Paltz Hawks (@nphawks) April 19, 2021

"I think we just got together again," Shaw said. "We went over the basics and we just realized we want to play how we have been playing. Teamwork is very important and I think that just stepping off the field and putting our mindset back on what we need to do really helped us, and I think that allowed us to get the W at the end." 

Hofer led the team in goals (five), points (six) and draw control wins (eight). Shaw and Gillis followed offensively, each netting three goals apiece. Shaw added an assist, a ground ball and four caused turnovers, while Gillis registered two assists a ground ball and two caused turnovers. Cayci Hill was solid on the defensive end for the Hawks, as the sophomore finished with a career and game-high six caused turnovers and one ground ball pick-up. Her six caused turnovers tied a single-game program most, a feat Gillis also reached against the Red Dragons Wednesday.

SUNY New Paltz has a season-defining game Saturday against Cortland. The Hawks lost a tight one-goal matchup against the perennial program in their season opener on the road a month ago. They have never beaten the Red Dragons, but if they do for the first time Saturday, they guarantee themselves a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament, a loss ends their 2021 campaign.

"We are so excited. The team energy has been higher than ever I think throughout the entire season," added Shaw. "Right now it is so important to get this win. We don't want to go in too overconfident but I think everybody on this team is confident in our skills and I think we're going to pull up and get a W."

Highlights


Shaw Post-Game Interview


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