Fredonia, NY — After shaking off the six-hour bus ride, the State University of New York at New Paltz defeated the Fredonia Blue Devils 18-5 Saturday, extending their undefeated streak to 11-0.
"This win showed us that even after a long week of travel, we can get off the bus and win," said Hawks captain
Kaitlyn Shaw. "We've set a standard for ourselves, and our goal is to keep getting better with each game we play."
Lexi Atwater secured the opening draw and put the first point on the board by scoring in a man-up opportunity. Within the minute, Fredonia answered with a goal, tying the score 1-1. After a near 10-minute scoring drought,
Kira Tucker flew in from the box and scored off an assist from
Ava Padilla, putting the Hawks ahead one. SUNY New Paltz was neck and neck with the Blue Devils in the opening quarter, ending the first with a score of 4-3 in the Hawks' favor.
Things got going in the second quarter after a key caused turnover from
Morgan Woolley to advance the ball to the offensive end. SUNY New Paltz was again the first to strike with a goal by Atwater, this time assisted by Padilla. Not long after, Shaw and
Morgan Atwater put in a goal each to extend the Hawks lead by four. SUNY New Paltz was scoring consistently, entering halftime with a comfortable 9-4 lead, padded by a last-minute free position goal from
Morgan Atwater.
Following a back-and-forth turnover battle in the beginning of the third, Fredonia scored first, cutting the Hawks' lead to four goals. However, for the rest of the quarter, SUNY New Paltz was all gas, no breaks, scoring five consecutive goals. The Hawks were able to continue this pattern into the fourth, netting another four consecutive goals. Their defense locked down on the Blue Devils, allowing only one shot from Fredonia, shutting them out in the fourth. The final buzzer sounded, and another box was checked for SUNY New Paltz, .
"I think overall it was a great team win against a really athletic team," said Hawks coach
Randy Vite. "We started a bit slow but did a great job of making some adjustments and taking back control of the game."
Shaw led her team with yet another historic performance. She had a whopping nine goals on the day, tying her season and career high, which also tied the most in single game program history — a record she set herself earlier in the year. She also scooped up five grounds balls and caused two turnovers.
"It feels great reaching this accomplishment," said Shaw. "But I truly could not have done it without my teammates who constantly push me to be my best and help set me up for success."
Lexi Atwater added four goals and two ground balls.
Morgan Atwater controlled both ends of the field, netting three goals, collecting four ground balls, and causing two turnovers. Baldinger also made an impact with a goal and three assists, and Vite noted her as "a game changer for stepping up on the draw control after the first quarter."
After four crucial conference victories so far, the Hawks intend on continuing their historic undefeated streak, facing SUNYAC opponent Potsdam on April 10 at home. The game begins at 4 p.m.
"I'm so excited to see what we do in the second half of conference," said Shaw. "We have already accomplished so much and everyone is eager to get more."
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