Ahead of the 2022 season, State University of New York at New Paltz co-captain Ally Donovan outlined the simple goal for the just completed season: "Last year…our goal was to make the playoffs since it had been so long since we made it. I think achieving that goal and making it we felt success; however, this year we have greater goals for our team, and we just don't want to make the playoffs…we want to have a further run and win the SUNYACs".
 
With the careful mentoring of coach Mike Eckberg and assistant coaches Laura Morcone and Samantha Trimblett continuing the upward trend to success, Donovan's preseason goals were not too far off the mark. Donovan and her teammates put together one of the finest seasons ever in SUNY New Paltz women's soccer history, finishing the season with an 11-4-2 record overall and a 6-2-1 SUNYAC mark, good enough for a third-place finish in the SUNYAC standings, just shy of the best ever ranking of second place scored by the SUNYAC championship team of 2011. Along the way, the Hawks tied or set a number of individual and team records.
 
The season began with three consecutive shutouts, a 3-0 win over Russell Sage with two goals by junior Rachel Eisert, a 0-0 tie with RPI, and a 4-0 victory over Hudson Valley neighbor Mount St. Mary with four Hawks including freshman Brooke Kelleher sharing the scoring.
 
A 3-1 home loss to Skidmore interrupted the Hawks momentum, but they quickly reeled off six consecutive victories — a 3-0 shutout of cross river Bard College, an opening 3-0 SUNYAC win over Potsdam and a tough 2-1 win over Plattsburgh with Kelleher netting the game winner. Behind Eisert's brace, SUNY New Paltz defeated Fredonia 3-0 before rolling Oneonta 4-0 with freshman Mia Baldinger scoring her first collegiate goal. The Hawks then earned a 3-1 win over Buffalo State as Eisert nailed the game-winner.
 
SUNY New Paltz ran into the top of the SUNYAC the following week, losing two close conference contests, first to league leading Geneseo in a tight 1-0 game in which the Knights scored the game winner with just 5:14 left in regulation. Four days later the Hawks hosted Cortland, the eventual SUNYAC Champions, and fell in a 2-0 decision on South Turf Field.
 
The team ended the regular season with two wins and a tie, as they went on the road and defeated Brockport, 3-0 with goalie Maddie Franklin making a season-high 11 saves to preserve the win and shutout. Traveling to Purchase, SUNY New Paltz shutout Manhattanville 2-0 with Donovan scoring a brace to seal the win.
 
In their regular season finale, the Hawks celebrated their seniors prior to the game, but ran into a motivated Oswego team that grabbed the lead midway through the first half. The following 45 minutes saw SUNY New Paltz take the lead on goals by sophomore Gaby Treble and freshman Addison Weiner only to have the Lakers equalize in the 77th minute. Despite constant pressure by the Hawks in the last 20 minutes, the score remained deadlocked at 2-2.
 
The third-place finish in the SUNYAC standings earned SUNY New Paltz its second consecutive trip to the SUNYAC tournament for only the second time in program history.
 
The Hawks entertained the Golden Eagles in a quarterfinal matchup on South Turf Field, and for the second time on the year defeated them, 5-2. The five goals scored tied for fifth most against a SUNYAC foe in a single game, while the win moved SUNY New Paltz on to the SUNYAC semifinals for the first time since the championship year of 2011.
 
The semifinal around pitted the Hawks against the top-seeded Knights on their home turf in another tight game but Geneseo moved on as it clinched a 3-2 victory. The Knights took a 2-0 halftime lead, but Kelleher trimmed the lead to one, only to have Geneseo net the game-winner 14 minutes later. Baldinger cut the deficit to one in the 73rd minute to make the match interesting but the Knights held on for the win and the most successful SUNY New Paltz women's soccer season in nearly two decades came to an end.
 
The Hawks' 11 wins tied for the third most in program history, while their six SUNYAC wins tied for the most ever in the conference. Their six straight mid-season wins set a new record for consecutive wins and their two SUNYAC shutouts of Fredonia and Oneonta tied for second most consecutive conference shutouts. The Hawks scored 39 goals on the season — the third best season total ever — while their 19 SUNYAC goals set a new season record. SUNY New Paltz's 31 assists set a new record for overall season assists and its 109 total points for 2022 ranks second only to the 118 set in 2012.
 
Individually, Eisert's team leading eight goals placed her tied for fourth on the single season goals record board and Kelleher's seven goals tied for fifth on the same list. Eisert's six assists tied her second for most single season assists, her 22 points placed fifth on the single season table and her 15 career goals places her tied for fourth in career goals. Emma Voege's nine career assists ties her fourth in career assists. Franklin's 0.85 goals against average landed her third on the single season list and her 0.841 save percentage ninth on the single season table.