NEW PALTZ, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team is looking to rebound from its loss Wednesday, which put an end to a three-game winning streak, when it takes on King's College Saturday at 6 p.m at Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex's McCarthy Stadium in Wilkes Barre, PA.
The Hawks are looking to get back on track following Wednesday afternoon's difficult defeat at the hands of Vassar College. It was a tightly contested affair, with both teams playing strong defense. The 0-0 tie was broken when the Brewers were awarded a penalty kick in the 86th minute. The shot went in and that was all they needed for victory.
SUNY New Paltz, with a record of 4-2, are tied in the win column with three other schools (Buffalo State, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Cortland) and will look to get win number five on Saturday. The Hawks have scored 11 goals on the season, which is third most in the conference. Midfielder Kenneth Roby leads the team with six goals, while midfielder Philip Varner, defensemen Owen McGarrity, Gabriel Cruz, forward Brandon Davenport and midfielder James Maltes have each scored once. They face a Monarchs team that is 2-1, with victories against Keystone College and Centenary University along with a loss to Juniata College. Two of their games have been postponed. The Monarchs have scored three goals on the season, which have come from midfielder Evan Egnatovic, forward Liam McLoughlin, and midfielder Liam Yair. 
SUNY New Paltz head coach Kyle Clancy is excited for the matchup.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the team's mentality as we bounce back from a tough loss," he said. "They are always a physical and athletic team that gives a good challenge."
The matchup between the Hawks and King's will be the seventh in men's soccer history for the two schools, with SUNY New Paltz holding a 4-2 lifetime edge. The last time the two teams met was in 2019, when the Hawks lost a home game by a score of 3-2. The King's victory on that day broke a SUNY New Paltz three-game win streak in the series, a streak in which the Hawks out-scored the Middle Atlantic Conference school 9-2 over the course of the three meetings.
Coming off the Vassar game, and despite the 4-2 record, always getting better as a group is vital. Clancy is looking forward to the contest for that reason.
"We are excited to show we can improve in a couple of key areas," he said. "We showed great energy and hunger and a good ability to control the game [against Vassar] and I'd like to see the same as we take on King's.
"Road games are no obstacle," Clancy continued. "We have shown already this year that we can compete with top teams on the road. Our guys love a good challenge and will be up for this one."
Hopefully the Hawks can rebound in a big way and get win number five.
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