Riverdale, NY — To mark their third straight win, the State University of New York New Paltz defeated the University of Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins, 2-0. 

SUNY New Paltz came out of the gate with an offensive push, as they took the first five shots of the game with no response from the Dolphins until the 10th minute when a low driven shot was taken, but it was saved by Maddie Franklin. UMSV struck again 30 seconds later, but the shot went wide.

A minute later, Rachel Eisert got free for a look on frame, but the ball just skimmed past the net and out of bounds. The closest attempt the team had so far, it was also one of the few effective offensive pushes in the first half from both sides, as the action was mostly within the midfield and offenses could not connect in set pieces. 

However in the 15th minute, action came to SUNY New Paltz's defensive third, when a foul by the Hawks in the box led to the Dolphins being awarded a penalty kick. Gisselle Soria from UMSV lined up to take the shot, but Franklin was one step ahead, and made a sensational save to deflect the shot up and out of the 18. 

Following the penalty, the Dolphins had three consecutive shot opportunities, but all were shutout by Franklin, who was a huge catalyst for the Hawks in the first 45 minutes. At the end of the half, the score was tied, 0-0. 
"Huge shout out to our senior goalkeeper Maddie Franklin for putting us in the position we needed to be in at half," said SUNY New Paltz coach Mike Eckberg. "She made multiple game changing saves, stopped a penalty kick, and owned her box."

At halftime, the Hawks intended to adjust their game play and create more offensive opportunities — and so they did. 

Only nine second into the second half, Mia Baldinger found Brooke Kelleher in the six, chipping a ball to Kelleher who connected on the header to find the back of the net. Kelleher's first goal and Baldinger's first assist of the season, the score put SUNY New Paltz ahead, 1-0.

The Hawks quickly doubled their advantage in the 52nd minute with Kelleher again the benefactor. The junior forward ripped a shot into the center of the net, which flew past the UMSV keeper. Unassisted, Kelleher gave SUNY New Paltz another point to push the score to 2-0. Not only were goals scored, but the offensive sets produced in the second half compared to the first were night and day. 

"I thought we made some really great adjustments at half that created some super dangerous opportunities in transition," Eckberg said. "Our group has proven time and again their ability to take information, make adjustments, and reset at half."

Despite having more than 30 minutes to make up for the early deficit, the Dolphins could not finish their shots, or get past Franklin. The Hawks also tried to knock another goal in, but could not replicate the success of the two previous goals. However, SUNY New Paltz did get more opportunities than the hosts, as the Hawks out shot the Dolphins 15-6 in the second half alone. But those attempts didn't matter when the buzzer sounded, as they walked away victorious anyway, defeating UMSV 2-0. 

Kelleher led the team with her two goals, one assisted by Baldinger. Gaby Treble fired six total shot attempts, followed by Eisert who had four, and Abby Dolge shot three. Franklin finished the game with an impressive eight saves with no goals against — a performance which tied her season high save count. 

The Hawks will take to the pitch again Saturday where they will face off against the Farmingdale State College Rams. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. 


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