Madison, NJ — The State University of New York at New Paltz claimed third place at the Drew Fall Festival Sunday, defeating Drew University (1-2) in a 4-0 blowout.

The Hawks (2-1) started the game slow, not having a single shot attempt until the 16th minute, when Philip Varner's shot went wide left. In that span, they were also called for two fouls and two offside penalties. They finally struck first after 23 minutes, 49 seconds when junior Gabriel Cruz sprinted past defenders and found the back of the net for his first collegiate goal.

From there, SUNY New Paltz went on a roll to end the first half. Junior Kenneth Roby scored the second goal just two minutes later on a shot into the left corner. Senior James Maltes scored the Hawks' third goal of the half on a similar shot at 38 minutes, 54 seconds. Varner recorded an assist on both goals. Less than two minutes after the start of the second half Roby took a long shot off a botched corner kick and found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season in just three games.

SUNY New Paltz put up nine shots in the game, six in the first half and three in the second half, seven of which were on goal with Rangers' goalkeeper Calum Erlenborn making three saves. After Cruz's 23rd minute goal, all but one shot the Hawks took were on goal. SUNY New Paltz also took seven corner kicks in the game to Drew's three.

"Nothing changed in how we played, just sticking to our game plan and attacking the areas of the field we felt were open to create the most opportunities possible in the final third," said Hawks coach Kyle Clancy. 

The Hawks' defense was also a major contributor to the victory. After allowing two shot opportunities in the first 16 minutes, the Rangers' did not get another chance to score until their best chance with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Multiple headers after a corner kick led to a Brandon Jimenez bicycle kick that just went over the crossbar. After out-fouling the Rangers 3-1 in the first half, the Hawks forced Drew into eight fouls in a physical second half.

"The pressure they apply, the ground they cover," said Clancy. "It's a relentless work ethic that makes it tough for the teams we play."

Graduate student goalkeeper Marc DePasquale recorded a save, a dribbler to him in the third minute of the first half, in his only save attempt. With the shutout the fifth-year DePasquale officially became the program's all-time shutout leader with 10 for his career.

"There are definitely areas of the game we need to improve on both sides of the ball to get to where we ultimately want to be," Clancy said. "It's back to work tomorrow to address those things and to build on this great result."

SUNY New Paltz will look to win back-to-back games on Wednesday, when it plays its second home game of the season against Merchant Marine. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. on the South Turf Field.

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