No one can ever say that the State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey season schedule was full of pushovers. Ever since her arrival at New Paltz, coach Shanna Szabllinski had made sure the Hawks face the best of the region before entering SUNYAC conference play. The return to the turf in 2021 was no different. On Saturday, Szablinski and the Hawks travel to Edwin Fauver Stadium on the campus of the University of Rochester to face the perennial eastern powerhouse Yellowjackets. Rochester has become a staple of the Hawks early season schedulen and have a 6-1 edge over SUNY New Paltz. The Hawks only victory was in 2019 at home with a tough 2-1 overtime victory over Rochester.

Saturday, they face a veteran Yellowjacket squad that has appeared in the NCAA DIII Elite 8 three times in the past six years and is defending Liberty League champions. Rochester sports a 4-1 early season record, their only loss coming at the hands of SUNY New Paltz rival SUNY Cortland. In all, the Yellowjacks have racked up a 15-4 goal differential, with a 62-30 shots-on-goal difference. 

Leading Rochester are two outstanding senior attackers, Nikki Mercer (Ventura, CA) (4 goals) and Amanda Strenk (Baldwinsville, NY) (6 goals). Each have scored a hat-trick this season; Mercer in the season opening 7-1 win over Nazareth, and Strenk in Wednesday's 4-1 victory against Oswego State. The Yellowjacket defense is anchored by senior goalie Abigail Walrond (Chatham, NJ). In five starts she has given up just four goals for an .89 goals-against-average, with two shutouts.

The Hawks, fresh off a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Skidmore College on Thursday — their first of the year — have been led offensively by juniors Julia Cummings (Mohegan Lake, NY) and Natasia Plunkett (Holland Patent, NY) with three goals each, with fellow junior Jamie Wagner (Cicero, NY) notching in two goals on the early season. Defensively, senior goalie Mackenzie Mortimer (Fairport, NY) has allowed six goals in 190-plus minutes of play, for a 1.89 goals-against-average, with one shutout.

SUNY New Paltz will look to get back into the win column Saturday when they face the Yellowjackets at 4 p.m.
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