Cortland, NY– The State University of New York at New Paltz men's lacrosse team (2-10 overall, 0-5 SUNYAC)  fell to SUNY Cortland (9-6 overall, 5-0 SUNYAC) in their first ever match up, 23-4. 
 
"Cortland is a conference champion caliber team. They were fast and strong. With that said, I thought we fought hard against them," Said SUNY New Paltz head coach Dwayne Stewart. 
 
The Red Dragons are the reigning SUNYAC champions for the past three championships and have won 27 of the 30 SUNYAC men's lacrosse championships held. Cortland also remains undefeated in the conference headed into the playoffs, likely the number one seed. 
 
"To compete with Cortland we need more athletes and game experience against them and other top teams in our conference and the division," Said Stewart. "So what we really need is more time to develop the program." 
 
The Hawks new program is looking to wrap up its first full season and first full conference schedule in program history this coming week. With two SUNYAC games against SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Plattsburgh, New Paltz looks to take home their first ever conference win. 
 
"The final week will look like every other week. We will continue to learn, grow, and push one another to build better habits and elevate our game," Said Stewart. "We will also celebrate our 2 graduating seniors for the 2022 class."
 
The Hawks next game is Wednesday on the South Turf field taking on the Oneonta Red Dragons for their last home game of the season. 
 
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