New Paltz, N.Y. — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's lacrosse team, in only their fourth year as a program, put together the best season in program history and one that has proven the Hawks are headed in the right direction.
 
First year coach Dylan Neisler took the helm entering the 2023 season and inherited a program that had previously gone 5-20 and 1-12 in the SUNYAC overall. Returning after spending the first two years of its inception as the assistant coach, Neisler used his familiarity with some of the veterans and the experience he obtained during his stints at College of Wooster and Mitchell, he was prepared to bring SUNY New Paltz its first winning season.
 
However, the season didn't get off to an ideal start. The Hawks lost three consecutive games to begin their campaign. In their home opener, they fell short in a 14-10  loss to the Privateers of Maritime College.  SUNY New Paltz lost the next game 11-8 to Farmingdale, before falling at the hands of Morrisville State.
 
The Hawks responded to the 0-3 start to the season with a five game winning streak. In Neisler's first win as SUNY New Paltz men's lacrosse head coach, the team took down Mount Saint Mary's College in an 11-8 victory.  They followed the first win of the season with a resounding 18-2 win over the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Seniors Thomas Armetta and Ryan Scully led the way for SUNY New Paltz, scoring four goals each. Junior Ryan Steinhart and senior Nate Lindsey split time in goal and recorded five saves and eight saves respectively.  
 
Another impressive team performance followed after the Hawks won 16-6 against SUNY Delhi.  The win saw SUNY New Paltz record the first three-game win streak in program history.  Armetta, Scully, junior John Reese, and senior Aiden Jones all scored three goals a piece to secure the victory for the Hawks.  "The standard is the standard regardless of who we're playing," said Neisler following the win. "We need to play to a certain standard, and guys know what that is and today was a step in the right direction."
 
The first game of the SUNYAC saw the Hawks get the better of the Cardinals of Plattsburgh State. SUNY New Paltz started conference play with an 18-9 win and extended its win streak to four. Reese starred in the game, scoring seven goals and recording an assist.  
 
Jones was the catalyst for the team's non-conference victory over St. Joseph's-Long Island. The attacker  showed out with six goals and an assist which brought the Hawks to a 5-3 record as they headed into their next SUNYAC game.  
 
As conference play resumed, SUNY New Paltz faced a strong SUNY Geneseo side that ended the team's five game win streak.  The Hawks went on to lose the next two games, the first against SUNY Cortland and the second against Oswego State.  
 
The Hawks had fallen to 1-3 in the SUNYAC with three more games to play. On senior day, SUNY New Paltz hosted the Bears of SUNY Potsdam and came away with the win in a tight-knit 14-12 game. 
 
As the team set a new record for most conference wins, Armetta celebrated surpassing the 100-point milestone. Despite the accolade, he gave all the praise to the team following the victory.  "It's senior day and we really wanted this one, but Potsdam is a really good team. They played hard and I'm proud of the team effort. This was a big one for our team," he said.

At that point in the season, a loss meant the team's playoff hopes would be thrown out. The pressure was on as SUNY New Paltz traveled to Oneonta. In a back and forth affair, the Hawks found themselves headed to overtime against the Red Dragons. After causing a turnover, sophomore Deacon Hill carried the ball forward and pounced on an unaware Oneonta defense.  Hill delivered the final blow in the form of a stick side, game-winning goal.  
 
Despite a huge victory for the Hawks and their playoff dreams, the team remained focused on the task at hand.  "If we lose on Saturday, yeah, we took a step forward, but we didn't do our job," said coach Neisler prior to the final conference game of the season.  
 
The Hawks headed to Brockport for the last SUNYAC matchup of the regular season. Another back and forth game ended 7-7 after regulation which meant one thing: overtime. SUNY New Paltz defeated the Golden Eagles thanks to an overtime game-winner from sophomore Anthony Senecal.  The Hawks ended the regular season with a three game win streak that saw them secure a playoff berth for the first time in program history — a true testament to the culture within the team and the work they had put in despite all the adversity they faced since the program's inception.  
 
 
The season came to an end in the first round of playoffs after a defeat to the No. 1 seeded Knights. However, despite the first round exit, the 2023 season finished as a historic run for the Hawks. Neisler and the team set a program record for overall wins (8) including a new conference record (4), and for the first time, SUNY New Paltz achieved a record above .500.  
 
More history was to come as juniors Matt Brignati and Ryan Steinhart became the team's first ever All-SUNYAC picks. Both Brignati and Steinhart were named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team.  "We would not of made the tournament without those two guys," Neisler stated.  Sophomore Ethan Scully earned himself a spot on the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team, another program first.  
 
The Hawks return most of their roster next season in their pursuit of their first conference title.

2023 Season Recap Highlight (edited by Joseph DiPreta)


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