New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz held off a late comeback by visiting Kean Wednesday on North Turf Field, needing an overtime game-winner by Hannah Ackerman to secure a 4-3 victory.
 
The Hawks, who improved to 7-1 overall with the win, held a two-goal advantage with only three minutes left in regulation and nearly had their best defensive performance of the season conceding just one through 57 minutes of action. However, the Cougars fought back to score two in the final minutes remaining to force extra time.
 
The Hawks started with a dominant opening 15 minutes, as they kept Kean on its heels playing most of the quarter on their offensive half. After four corners within a three minute span, Morgan Woolley finally found the back of the net for the game's first goal with three minutes to go in the period.
 
The play stemmed from a win by Miranda Britton on the re-defend, before earning a corner for her team. She inserted the ensuing set play to Hannah Ackerman up top, who slipped a pass to Woolley who one-timed a shot into the net for the score.
 
SUNY New Paltz doubled its lead shortly after, as again it kept control on its offensive half. Meghan Gunning played a ball into the circle, which deflected up in front of cage. Britton, in a perfect spot, found the loose ball and batted it out the air for her team-leading 11th of the year.
 
Kean won the possession battle in the second quarter, earning a shot on goal within the first two minutes. Gail Comiskey made the initial stop, but the Cougars kept possession which led to their first goal of the day with 10 minutes remaining in the period. The Hawks weathered through, however, and maintained the 2-1 lead headed into halftime.
 
 
With the rain beginning to come down into the third quarter, SUNY New Paltz started playing more defense toward the end of the period. Woolley was huge defensively, first diving in the way of a shot, getting her stick on the attempt to parry the ball away with four minutes to go for the defensive save. She then ran down a Kean forward nearing the 25 for the clean tackle as time winded down to help preserve her team's one-goal lead entering the last period.
 
Amanda Quenneville gave SUNY New Paltz a cushion midway through the fourth. Britton once again was the catalyst on the play, as she leaped a defender down the sideline to get the initial ball into the circle. Rachel Tama then fired a shot which was saved, but she was there on the rebound to send another toward goal that was deflected by Quenneville into the goal to create a 3-1 game with about eight minutes left.
 
SUNY New Paltz was less than three minutes away from earning the win, but Kean came through late to get back in. The Cougars got within one at 3-2 after scoring off a corner with Jazmyne Frack finding the loose ball in front of cage for the goal. They scored another shortly after as Kelsey Corbett got out for a 1-v-1 with Comiskey to knot the score at 3-3 with less than 30 seconds to go.
 
Playing in their second-straight overtime game at home, the Hawks prevailed, as Britton, three minutes into the extra time, found open space in front of the keeper and slotted a pass to Ackerman who scored the open net goal to solidify the win.
 
SUNY New Paltz out-shot Kean, 25-7, including 17-7 in shots on target. It also earned 12 penalty corners to the Cougars' four. Ackerman finished with a goal and an assist, along with Britton to lead the way offensively as the two combined for five shots. Tama had a team-high nine shots with an assist.

The Hawks are back in action Saturday, as they begin SUNYAC play at home against SUNY Morrisville at 1 p.m. on North Turf Field.

Game Highlights by Aiden Duran

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