New Paltz, NY — In its fourth consecutive postseason appearance and only second semifinal match in 10 years, the State University of New York New Paltz is set to host the Fredonia Blue Devils Wednesday afternoon. 

To reach the second round of the SUNYAC tournament, the Blue Devils defeated No. 5 seeded Buffalo State in the quarterfinal round Nov. 2 in a 2-0 shutout to face SUNY New Paltz who comes out of a bye-week to play in its first game since defeating Oswego Oct. 26 in its regular season finale.

The Hawks (13-2-2 overall, 8-0-1 SUNYAC) have shown out in one of their most impressive seasons to date, and hope to continue their success against visiting Fredonia. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, SUNY New Paltz came out victorious, 2-0. The Hawks shutout Fredonia 2-0, with goals netted by both freshman Alyssa Deutsch, and senior captain Rachel Eisert.

Reigning All-SUNYAC First-Team and SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year Eisert had been the offensive catalyst for SUNY New Paltz all season long, leading the team in goals (14) with five game-winners. Eisert is accompanied in the record books by senior Gaby Treble, who is just behind Eisert with 13 goals, four of them game-winners. Brooke Kelleher joins the duo as the Hawks' assist leader with seven total and has netted four goals of her own. SUNY New Paltz's offensive line leads the SUNYAC in overall goals scored (52) and shots per game (20.6), and is second in shots on goal (182). 
A First-Team All-SUNYAC pick a year ago, senior Alexis DeLeo, along with juniors Mia Baldinger and Laney Schmitz play integral roles in SUNY New Paltz's strong midfield presence. With a combined 3,143 minutes of play this year alone, the trio is unwavering in keeping control in the middle and is supported defensively by the Hawks' steadfast backline.

Defenders Emma Voege, Erin Savarese, Hannah Wellinger, and Grace Lien work with incumbent keeper Maddie Franklin to prevent as many attempts as possible, and the unit has a minimal .31 goals against average and has recorded 13 shutouts total. Franklin has saved 47 shot attempts while only having seven goals against across 16 games played.  

The Hawks boast a talented second line of players as well, including graduate student Kennedy Jones and freshmen Abby Macleod and Deutsch. Jones and Macleod have netted three goals a piece this year, followed closely by Deutsch with one. Abby Dolge, Addison Weiner, and Parris Burke also play crucial minutes and have a combined four goals this season, Dolge with two and Weiner and Burke with one apiece. SUNY New Paltz's depth will be crucial heading into postseason play, especially versus the formidable Blue Devils. 

Fredonia (12-7 overall, 5-4 SUNYAC) closed regular season conference play on a three-game winning streak during which a 2-0 win against Oneonta clinched them a spot in the postseason. The Blue Devils are second in the SUNYAC in goals scored (46) but lead the conference with 184 shots on goal out of 353 total shots. 

A former First Team All-SUNYAC pick Katie Sellers leads Fredonia's offensive line. The senior has 13 goals, four netted as game-winners, and two assists this year. Sophomore Gabby Irwin succeeds Sellers on the stat line, as the 2023 SUNYAC Rookie of the Year has tallied nine goals and dished out eight assists on the season. Irwin is only behind senior Maddy Payne in assists, who recorded nine total and put up two goals. 

The Blue Devils' defense sports a goals-against average of 1.05 and are third in the conference in shutouts with eight on the year. Abby Szymkowiak stands in net as the sole rostered goalie for Fredonia and has played the full 90 minutes in every contest across the season. The sophomore has collected 104 saves and denied SUNY New Paltz 13-shot attempts in the competitor's last meeting, which was a career-high for Szymkowiak. 

The winner of Wednesday's match will move on to the SUNYAC championship on Saturday and play the winner of the opposite semifinal match between No. 2 seeded Cortland and No. 6 seeded Oneonta. Kickoff between the Hawks and Blue Devils is scheduled for 1 p.m. at South Turf Field. 


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