Madison, NJ — To close out the second match of its back-to-back weekend, the State University of New York New Paltz routed the Drew Rangers 2-0, making for its second straight win, and third of the season.
Not only did the Hawks walk away victorious, but they also left with a broken program record. Senior
Rachel Eisert clinched the all-time assist record with the first assist of the game, and added one on for good measure, as she assisted both goals on the day.
"We had really consistent services throughout this entire week on our pieces, and [we] felt very confident and dangerous in those moments, which proved to be the game-winner," said SUNY New Paltz coach
Mike Eckberg.
Similarly to the Saturday game, the Hawks came out quickly from kickoff, as
Brooke Kelleher got free in the box for a shot, but it was scooped up by Drew's keeper Sarah Crowley. Crowley was a defensive pillar for the Rangers, as she gathered five saves in the first half alone, which extinguished a lot of threatening set pieces from SUNY New Paltz.
In the second minute of play, Eisert set up
Abby Dolge at the corner of the 18, where Dolge outsmarted a defender to get herself free, but unfortunately, she could not finish out the play.
Late in the seventh minute,
Gaby Treble streaked up the right side of the field, weaving in and out of Drew's players to fire a shot, but she could not find the back of the net and was denied by Crowley. Three minutes later, Eisert was set up for a header, yet she could not get the attempt on target.
As the first half progressed, the Hawks let up on their aggressive offensive campaign and had to retreat to the defensive end, as the Rangers began to create more threatening set pieces.
"I thought Drew did an excellent job defensively," Eckberg said. "We were very stubborn in our attack and did not do well to break the final line and we were undisciplined in our movement off the ball as we were offsides multiple times."
In the 17th minute, the Rangers got their first feasible scoring opportunity with a chip to a striker on the far side, but the run was defended well by
Erin Savarese as she forced a corner rather than a shot. Drew sent the kick into the box, where they had a point-blank range shot on net, but keeper
Maddie Franklin reacted well for the save.
After an errant pass back by Drew, Eisert took advantage and dodged Crowley for an open shot, but a defender streaked back and cleared the ball off the goal line. A crucial play, the team save prevented SUNY New Paltz from taking the lead.
A yellow card in the 27th minute gave the Hawks a free kick in the offensive third, which was deflected by the Rangers defensive line to end the opportunity.
Off a corner kick taken by
Emma Voege in the 39th minute, Eisert got another header off, this time towards the left side of the net.
Addison Weiner came through and tapped the ball into the top of the net to score her first goal of the season and SUNY New Paltz's first goal of the game. With only a little over five minutes remaining in the first, neither team could make a solid run, and the half ended with the Hawks up 1-0.
The second half began with a shot from Treble that was deflected out to earn a corner. Voege sent the ensuing ball in, but no SUNY New Paltz players could get behind the service. Following the Hawks' corner, Drew gained four consecutive corner kick opportunities — but all were unsuccessful in producing a shot.
A foul in the 57th minute by the Hawks gave the Rangers a dangerous free kick, as the ball was placed in the center of the box, but no Drew players could get a foot on it before it was sent out of bounds.
In the 62nd minute, Eisert beat her defender in a foot race to take control of the loose ball, before crossing it to the top of the box where Dolge was waiting, but Crowley made a diving save to prevent the goal. During another offensive run,
Mia Baldinger found
Parris Burke through multiple Drew players in the 73rd minute, and Burke was able to turn around with a quick strike toward the goal — but the shot missed over the crossbar.
In the 81st,
Alexis DeLeo struck a shot, but could not get it on net. However, not even a minute later Eisert would set DeLeo up off a cross from the corner of the box, which allowed DeLeo to one-time the ball and score. Her second goal of the season, DeLeo leads the team in goals alongside Treble, who has two goals on the year as well.
"Our second goal was an excellent moment from Rachel, who found a trailing runner in the box with an absolute classy finish from Lexi," Eckberg said. "[Which was] something we had been emphasizing at halftime and prior kick-off."
Despite another shot attempt from the Rangers, they did not have enough time to cut the 2-0 deficit in front of them, and the game ended with the Hawks on top.
Weiner and DeLeo led the way with a goal a piece, both assisted by Eisert. Dolge had two on-target tries, while Treble and Kelleher had a shot each. Franklin played the whole 90 minutes and ended with three saves.
"We just have to keep refining our process, keep sharpening the details we need technically from individuals, and strive for the next level as we pursue excellence," said Eckberg.
The Hawks are back on the road Wednesday, traveling to Mount Saint Vincent for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
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