New Paltz, NY — For the last three seasons, the State University of New York New Paltz has earned its way into the SUNYAC playoffs, even claiming first round bye in 2021, but has fallen shy of surviving past the first-round game. However, with an infusion of talent, which includes two transfers and a talented freshmen class, the Hawks are confident this year they are primed to extend its run for its first conference title in more than 50 years.

"To compete for a championship this year is everything for us," said SUNY New Paltz graduate student Tim Kane. "Seeing a lot of our other sports teams win a championship, win their first championship ever, it's really inspiring for us to see that especially throughout the spring and the winter, but I think for us and this program before we move onto the NJAC, I think it's something that we really want to get done."
Last season the team fell on the road to the Buffalo State Bengals, 1-0 which ended their postseason run. They finished their 2023 campaign 9-3-4 overall and 4-2-3 in the SUNYAC.

SUNY New Paltz recorded a total of 29 goals, averaging 1.81 goals a game. The men put up a total of 247 shots, averaging 15.4 a game, and 0.462 percent of those being on goal.
At the forefront of the program, head coach Kyle Clancy looks to lead the team to their fourth consecutive playoff berth and the fifth of his coaching career. Last year the team broke the program record for consecutive playoff appearances with their third consecutive appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament.
 

"From the first year's that we've got, from the fifth-year transfer, sophomore transfer, to just all the new guys, they are really showing their levels and they're really willing to compete with us right out of the gate," Kane said. " Just the way that we've meshed together has really helped form some really great relationships so far and I think those relationships are going to translate to on the field as they are really looking like they're going to put the effort in on the field and hopefully that effort will lead to a lot more goals this season."
Kane captains the Hawks for the second consecutive year, returning for his fifth and final season. He started all 12 games he played in 2023, racking up 1011 minutes on the field. The defender recorded four shots and one goal, giving him a .250 shot on goal percentage. He played eight full 90-minute games and was named to the 2024 SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. Joining Kane in returning to the pitch this fall is Graduate defender Owen McGarrity. McGarrity finished last season with his second consecutive second team All-SUNYAC honors. The returning center back earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region III second team honors as well. He started 16 games, earned 10 points by scoring five goals and totaled 1434 minutes on the field last season.

McGarrity and Kane will help solidify a strong back line that features Division I graduate transfer Alberto Molina who spent the last four seasons at the University of Rhode Island, while incumbents, junior Ryan Bochenski and sophomore Samuel Snider return at right and left back, respectively.

Molina is a Hopewell Junction native transferring for his final season of eligibility from the University of Rhode Island where he started at defense in four games last season. The 6-2 defender appeared in 32 games in his four years there, starting 23 of those while racking up 2,106 minutes on the field.

Christian Micheli is back in goal for another season. Last year the senior earned third team All-SUNYAC for the second year in a row. He started all 16 games, totaling 1,409 minutes. Micheli saved 57 of 145 shots faced with five shutouts. He finished last season with a .877 save percentage and was named to the 2024 SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

Seven Juniors also return for SUNY New Paltz, including Alex Wyant who started all 16 games last season. The Beacon, NY native totaled 1,227 minutes on the pitch last season and scored two goals. Wyant recorded 15 shots, six of which were on goal, earning himself a .400 shot percentage on the year.
"I definitely think we have the caliber to win a championship this year," Wyant said. "We're figuring things out, figuring out what we're doing well and what we need to improve on. I think we have the guys. We have a lot of incoming guys, a lot of freshmen coming in, a lot of strikers coming in — it's their point to prove. I think we're going to look really good this year. Our midfield has a lot of depth and we're returning all of our back line. We'll probably have one of the best back lines in Division III."

David Acker will be a mainstay in the midfield. As a sophomore last season, Acker started 11 of 16 games. In his 641 minutes on the field, he recorded two assists and nine shots, six of which were on goal, ending is season with a .667 shot on goal percentage.

The Hawks sophomore class is made up of six returners and one transfer, in former NJIT Highlander Riley Tait. Snider saw the most time as a freshman for SUNY New Paltz, racking up 1,397 minutes on the field last season and had an assist. Fellow sophomore Kieran Weber followed, logging 318 minutes across 13 games. Last season he recorded one assist, six shots and three on goal, giving him a save percentage of .500.

The Hawks' incoming freshmen class look to make an immediate impact. They are made up of offensive weapons up top in Bryan Lizama (Huntington Station, NY), Brandon Dhanoolal (Tarrytown, NY), Derek Viebrock (Wappingers, NY), Dom Pineda (Newburgh, NY) and Ryan Zindler (Wappingers, NY), along with strong play in the midfield from Cam Mingle (Wyantskill, NY) and sound play in the back by Troy Stewart (Westhampton, NJ).
 
The Hawks start their season at home this weekend with the first annual Hawk Classic. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Poly and Sarah Lawrence will travel to New Paltz to compete in a two-day weekend tournament. On Friday, SUNY New Paltz will face the Engineers at 2 p.m. followed by a match at 2 p.m. against SUNY Poly Saturday, both located on South Turf Field.
For tournament details, click here.
 
Season Preview Featuring Alex Wyant & Tim Kane


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